Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The main complaints regarding referendum commissions was that they were not set up for long enough and did not have enough time, according to the chairpersons appointed to do the job as effectively as they might wish. That is why we have given advance notice of the setting up of this commission. It knows it is to be established and therefore it is doing preparatory work on the kind of properly resourced campaign it will set out for the people.

Some consideration could be given to the setting up of a commission on a permanent basis but if we do that there might be an interim period of a number of years in which no referendum is held. We have already had a number of referendums to date. We will have a number this autumn, and the commission being set up will be able to do the job, and will be properly resourced as well.

Regarding the way referendums should be run, once the referendum commission is set up it is completely independent. Clearly, we are now obliged and will follow the decision of the Supreme Court in the way this matter has to be left to the referendum commission in so far as that is concerned. The parties supporting the referendum will run their own political campaigns outlining why this should be done, the effect of it and what it means in terms of the changes that will be made here so that people can have an argument, a discourse or a conversation about how effective that might be.

In respect of the Presidency, I have had the opportunity to visit a number of countries recently. The Nordic countries such as Denmark, Norway and Finland have effective systems of doing their business. I was particularly struck by the range and the authority of the Finnish committee system. As I said, people who get involved in public comment and public proposals about legislation have the opportunity to feed into the committee system; it is very powerful. New Zealand as well as Croatia, Slovakia and new countries that came from a communist regime have only one house. Most countries with populations of between 4 million and 7.5 million have one house. We have two. The point I was making earlier is if we reform the current system we end up either with a minority electorate, which can be deemed to be discriminatory and does not cover all the issues in the way intended, and Ireland has changed, or some form of directly-elected house similar to the Dáil.

The Seanad has never really been a second House, rather it is a break on the proceedings of the Dáil. On one hand, this matter relates to legislation, the preparation, assessment, effectiveness and implementation thereof and how it works in the interests of the people. On the other, it comes down to ensuring that the issues of the day can be debated and that there is accountability and transparency. It is not beyond the bounds of our ability to make the Parliament much more effective than is currently the case.

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