Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Bhille seo. Píosa amháin de phacáiste mór a ba chóir a chur os comhair na Dála chun déanamh cinnte go bhfuil an Dáil seo níos oscailte do gach duine sa tsochaí anseo, ní amháin na fir den chuid is mó atá anseo, ach na mná chomh maith, agus daoine óga ach go háirithe. Nílim i gcoinne an Bhille seo in aon bhealach. Cuirfidh sé leis an Dáil amach anseo agus tá i gceist go mbeidh cothromas ann. Is trua nach bhfuil sliocht Billí os ár gcomhair, nó Bille cuimsitheach ag déileáil leis na fadhbanna eile a dhéanann sé deacair do mhná ach go háirithe bheith tofa don Dáil.

Tá gá ann chun líon na mban sa Dáil agus san Oireachtas ar fad a mhéadú. Tá gá ann freisin chun níos mó daoine óga a mhealladh isteach go mbeidh an Dáil níos cosúla leis an tsochaí atá lasmuigh ag féachaint isteach orainn. Glacadh roinnt céimeanna ag an toghchán deireanach. Tá níos mó daoine óga istigh anseo ná mar is cuimhin liom agus tá líon na mban méadaithe. Ní go leor, áfach, agus mar sin tá bealach fada romhainn sula mbainfimid an sprioc sin amach go mbeidh an Dáil ina macasamhail ar an saol, gur mná iad a mbeidh breis is 50% de Theachtaí an Tí seo agus gur daoine óga an-chuid de na Teachtaí freisin.

Níor díríodh isteach ar an athrú suntasach a tháinig ar sochaí na tíre seo. Tá a lán daoine nach ó shliocht Gaelach iad sa chéad dul síos agus tá súil agam go bhfeicfimid Teachtaí nach ó bhunadh na hÉireann iad. Bhí duine nó dhó mar sin i stair an Stáit.

Hopefully this Bill is not seen by those on the outside as Deputies debating a measure that will benefit only themselves. It is more important than that. There is often criticism that the Dáil is an old boys' club, and the purpose of this Bill is to prevent that and to overcome the obstacles that prevent women and young people from participating in the Oireachtas in the future. This Bill focuses on one possible obstacle and I welcome the fact it was announced as part of a package. It is to be hoped we will see other legislation to overcome the other obstacles. There is a perception that this is an old boys' club and this Dáil is much better placed than the previous two Dáils in which I served. It is much younger and there are more women, although not enough. It is, however, more reflective of society in general. We have made some progress.

We must reflect society. We need men and women in equal numbers. Perhaps there should be more women because there are more women in the State than men. We must ensure those with disabilities are fully encouraged to participate in the electoral process. We made progress in this area in the last Dáil that should ensure no one feels there is a bar on them in future. Also, those of different ethnicity reflect the changes in Ireland in recent years. People from a huge range of other countries have settled in Ireland and hopefully their sons and daughters, as Irish citizens, will contest elections and will come into this House to reflect their families' experiences when they arrived in Ireland and their cultures. That would be good for the State and society in general.

We must change the working environment here; it is not family friendly. We do not allow those who are caring for children, or even for elderly parents, to make arrangements that they can be sure will stick. How often have we come into the Dáil, having made child care arrangements only for the Order of Business to be changed so we sit late? As a result there must be a whole raft of changes to those child care arrangements. I am as guilty of demanding the extra time as anyone but because we do not have a mechanism to extend the hours in advance, we are all affected.

This Dáil, of all the Dáils in which I have served, has seen more changes in terms of Dáil sitting days. We are presented with a calendar that is then constantly changed. I know this is a time of crisis and we have had to deal with emergency legislation.

That would throw any calendar, but it is the type of problem that is difficult for the principal carer of children to cope with, and in the main in Irish society that is a woman. For a mother who comes into the Chamber in the morning, having made all of these arrangements, it can be difficult and grating if it happens continually for the term of a Dáil.

I look forward to Dáil reform tackling these issues. We received promises in the past. It is not a matter on which I can offer a solution, but it is something at which we must work to ensure that we get it right and are not excluding women because of our chaotic work hours or arrangements in terms of sitting days. If we do not get it right, we will end up with the status quoor with a minor change. That is why it is a valuable Bill.

It is not a priority Bill for the general public. They will be looking in and seeing a Dáil discussing something that will affect a small cohort of Irish society. However, it is important that we send out the message that we are serious about trying to change the workings of the Dáil to ensure that in the future there is no obstacle to greater female participation, especially among younger women, in the Dáil and to ensure that we reach the magical ratio of 50:50 or more, if that is what the electorate decides.

It is sad that there is a perception among the public, often created by the media, that Deputies do not do much work and one never sees them in the Dáil. That is also part of what we must tackle to ensure that the public understands that Deputies of all parties, especially those who have a constituency office and many of those from rural areas who leave the city and hold clinics on Saturdays, are available and work tirelessly morning, noon and night. What time is left for family when, even on a family day out, whether it is a Saturday or Sunday, one is still at work because constituents come up to one? Even when a Deputy is with family, constituents will stop and ask him or her to address a crisis in their lives. As political representatives, often we are willing and, hopefully, able to address those concerns or at least tackle them, but that is at a cost to one's family life. My children often have been dragging out of me while I tried to take details of a case on a street or in a park, and it can be frustrating for them. It can also be frustrating for me. A political representative would be the worst in the world if he or she told somebody, "Go away, I will see you again". In many ways, that is suicide for a Deputy. One must work. There is a need, for society as well as ourselves, to adapt and also to understand fully how the Parliament and Deputies works. When the dual mandate was abolished there was much hope that Deputies would be able to concentrate specifically on the legislative programme and that it would be much better. It has not yet happened, although I live in hope. I never held the dual mandate but I know some who did. The workload seems to be the same, if not greater, since the dual mandate was abolished. Perhaps, in time, that will change.

I support the Bill. I congratulate Deputy Ó Fearghaíl on publishing it. Hopefully, there will be other pieces of legislation which will address the shortfalls we encounter.

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