Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:acknowledges that the citizens of this State rejected the Government’s Constitutional amendment to abolish the Seanad through referendum vote in October 2013;

recognises that all participants and parties involved in the referendum campaign were clear in agreeing that the Seanad in its current form is elitist, undemocratic and unacceptable;

notes that the Taoiseach gave a commitment in October 2013, post-referendum, to reform the political system and ensure that the Seanad is a modern and effective second chamber, yet has abjectly failed to deliver that commitment; and

calls on the Government to:

— immediately engage with all parties and groups within the Oireachtas, but also broader civic society, to consider how best to reform the Seanad to ensure that it becomes a fully inclusive, representative and accountable institution;

— introduce direct election by way of universal franchise of all Irish citizens;

— introduce northern and diasporic representation;

— introduce 50% women members; and

— ensure representation of marginalised minority groups within Irish society.

I propose to share time with Deputies Tóibín, Mac Lochlainn, Ó Snodaigh and Crowe. I welcome the Technical Group Members who co-signed the motion.

Over a year ago, the Government lost a referendum on a constitutional amendment to abolish the Seanad. Its proposal for abolition was rejected by citizens of the State. Sinn Féin would have preferred voters to have the additional choice of opting for root and branch reform. We proposed that the Government hand the issue of Seanad reform over to the Constitutional Convention for discussion and recommendation but the Government rejected this and only allowed for a 'Yes' or 'No' response.

In those circumstances, Sinn Féin called clearly for a 'Yes' vote to abolish the Seanad. Sinn Féin delegates to the Constitutional Convention, of which I was one, have also called on the Irish Government and the Oireachtas to empower a second Constitutional Convention with a broader mandate to consider issues related to the strengthening of constitutional protection of human rights and outstanding political and institutional reform issues, including Seanad reform, Northern representation, and representation of the diaspora in the Oireachtas. Following the referendum on the Seanad, the Taoiseach and the Government committed to reforming the political system and to ensuring the Seanad was a modern and effective second Chamber.

However, the Taoiseach has done absolutely nothing to achieve this. This was most recently and notoriously highlighted by the Taoiseach's direct involvement in the McNulty affair and Mr. McNulty's nomination to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA. This illustrates not just the Government's attitude to the Seanad but also its lack of respect for IMMA and its total disregard for the arts and its community.

In its current form, the Seanad remains elitist, undemocratic and unacceptable as an institution of the State. It is not elected by the people but rather by a mere 1% of the electorate. It has 60 Members, six of whom are elected by the graduates of some universities, 43 of whom are elected from five panels of nominees that are supposedly representative of key elements of society, and 11 of whom are nominated by the Taoiseach. Any democratic State that would limit the franchise to people with a third-level degree cannot in all seriousness consider itself to be modern, egalitarian or democratic. There is no such place in a 21st-century democracy for such nonsense, and deciding who can vote on the basis of educational attainment is blatant elitism. Sinn Féin believes in "one person, one vote" and universal franchise. It is worth noting, almost in passing, that our group in the Seanad is also denied speaking rights. A properly reformed Seanad that is democratic, accountable and egalitarian and that works in the best interests of good governance is urgently needed.

Today's Seanad was created by the 1937 Constitution and in the decades since, with a few honourable exceptions, it has become synonymous with cronyism on the part of Fianna Fáil in particular, but also on the part of Fine Gael and the Labour Party. It has also been used as a form of safety net for those who fail to get elected to the Dáil, and there have been incidents in which Senators were stood down - particularly by Fianna Fáil - just weeks from a general election, to be replaced by others just for those few weeks. Such a brief sojourn in the Upper House would secure entitlements such as lifelong parking at Leinster House.

The Seanad has opposed the Government on occasions and some Seanadóirí have been real pioneers of change, progress and advocacy, but at no point has the Seanad acted as a real check on the excesses of this or any other Government. Since Fine Gael and Labour came to power, the Seanad has supported the Government on almost every occasion, including the introduction of the property tax and water charges. Fianna Fáil campaigned for the retention of the Seanad, but in his 14 years as part of a Fianna Fáil Government, neither Deputy Martin nor anybody else in the Government made any attempt to reform the Upper House.

Fine Gael's five-point plan tried to exploit what the party saw as a failure by the other main party. It indicated that political failure lay at the heart of Ireland's economic failure and that to fix the economy it would also have to fix the political system. This was clearly all rhetoric with no substance. Despite numerous claims over decades by all the establishment parties that it would reform the Seanad, none of them has done so. On 12 separate occasions reports were produced proposing reform, but not one finding has been implemented. In 1979, citizens voted in a referendum to broaden the Seanad's franchise to include graduates of institutions of higher education, and those results are gathering dust somewhere in Government Buildings. No Government has been prepared to allow the second Chamber to scrutinise its legislative programme in a meaningful and effective manner, and the current Government will not even allow this Chamber to scrutinise its proposals and programmes properly. As we reflect on the issue, there can be no place for an elected institution for which only a tiny minority has the right to vote. A republic is about citizenship, which includes the right to be treated equally, and it is clearly unjust that the right to vote in this case is determined by a person's place of education.

Sinn Féin proposals for genuine Seanad reform include engagement with all parties and groups within the Oireachtas and the broader specific civic society to consider how best to reform the Seanad and ensure it becomes fully inclusive, representative and accountable. The party also proposes the introduction of direct election by way of universal franchise of all Irish citizens, Northern representation and representatives from the diaspora. The proposals stipulate that 50% of Seanad Members would be women and there would be measures to ensure representation of marginalised and minority groups such as the Traveller community so they can have a place.

This motion outlines how the Seanad can be reformed and become more inclusive to represent all the people of the island of Ireland rather than just a small minority. We have the opportunity to ensure the Seanad is a place where unjust or regressive legislation can be challenged. We can make it relevant and allow the Seanad to have a positive impact on the lives of ordinary people. There is also the chance to include citizens from the North, including people from the Unionist tradition, in the political life of the State. I commend the motion to the Dáil.

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