Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

He came into the House to challenge the Opposition, even though not one member of the Government was in the Chamber while Opposition Members were discussing Seanad reform. It is amusing to hear him speak about democracy and reform in that context. Committees are packed with Government Members to give them an in-built majority and a power of veto, yet he spoke about democracy. For several days his silence was deafening in dealing with the whistleblowers issue and further scandals have emerged this morning. These are the issues that need to be addressed by the House.

I commend Deputy Micheál Martin for bringing the Bill before the House. In the last general election we all promised to reform the political system. We need to develop a modern and inclusive democracy that would put the needs and rights of citizens first, but we also need to break down the barriers in society. That is the purpose of the Bill. The people who answered their doors to us in 2011 asked us to fix the system. I support the Bill because it would play a part in that process.

The campaign to abolish the Seanad was disgraceful, but the people decided to keep it. I am proud that I was involved in that effort. The people also voted for us to reform the Seanad to include all of the people. Independent Deputies and Senators played a crucial role in that campaign and I commend them for their victory against the odds and the negative claims made by certain individuals inside and outside this House. It was a difficult campaign for those of us who wanted to save the Seanad because the negativity and hostility were appalling. The lack of respect shown in the debate for democracy and the rights of citizens and councillors was also a disgrace.

We now have an opportunity to develop a clear vision for the future of the country as a democratic and inclusive state. The Seanad needs to bring new and fresh talent to give a voice to all sections of society. Section 6 of the Bill provides that Seanad Éireann "shall be composed of 60 Members, 11 of whom shall be nominated and 49 elected". Section 7 provides: "The eleven nominated members of Seanad Éireann shall be nominated, with their prior consent, by the Taoiseach who is appointed next after the re-assembly of Dáil Éireann following the dissolution thereof which occasions the nomination of the said members". Section 9 provides:

The Taoiseach shall take into consideration the need to ensure representation for the following groups or sectors in this jurisdiction and in Northern Ireland—

(a) the elderly,

(b) the young,

(c) the new Irish community,

(d) the Irish diaspora,

(e) people with disabilities,

(f) sporting organisations,

(g) the arts,

(h) the traveller community.

Elderly people are the backbone of this society and have helped to build the country. As such, we should give them a voice in the Seanad.

People with disabilities are often ignored, despite the huge a pool of talent among them. Some of them would make magnificent Senators. A system should be put in place to develop and retain this pool of talent, as we need to involve disabled people in the structures of society. One only needs to consider the CRC and Rehab scandals to realise the need to hear their voices. The Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, is out of touch in this regard. He spoke about democracy and inclusion, but all he did was waffle.

We also have a fantastic pool of talent in the arts community. People are often low key about the arts, but they play an important role in Irish society. We need to draw on the quality exhibited by our actors, musicians and writers.

For many years we have debated ways of involving the Traveller community in society. The Traveller community is marginalised and experiences racism on a daily basis, but it also offers magnificent individuals who are coming through the education system and groups such as Pavee Point and the Irish Traveller Movement. Their leaders would make magnificent Senators who could speak against prejudice, racism and exclusion. The sad reality is that there has not been any real improvement in that regard. Racism, discrimination and sectarianism should not be tolerated in any democratic country, but, sadly, we have a long way to go.

Section 23 of the Bill provides for the nomination of candidates as follows:

At a Seanad general election, a person may be nominated to be a candidate in a Seanad general election by one of the following methods--

(a) by one or more nominating bodies,

(b) by a local authority,

(c) by the popular nomination of 500 persons whose names are included in the Seanad general election register.

Some might argue that the requirement to have 500 nominations is too high, but I consider it to be a reasonable figure. I challenge the Minister of State on his negative comments on this section. I was also disappointed by his comments on voters from the North of Ireland. It is important that Irish citizens living in the North are given a vote.

This Bill could make a positive contribution to inclusive politics on the island and contains a number of sensible ideas. I challenge the Government to consider it more carefully. The Minister of State spoke about reform and change; this is an opportunity to do something about it by supporting this legislation.

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