Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Is mór an onóir dom tacú le beartas Shinn Féin maidir le leasú ar an Seanad. Teastaíonn athrú bunúsach go géar. Caithfimid an Seanad a chur ag obair dúinn agus do ghnáthmhuintir na tíre seo.

On 4 October last year the Government held a referendum on a constitutional amendment to abolish the Seanad. Citizens of the State were offered a "Yes" or "No" choice and rejected the Government's proposition. Sinn Féin would have preferred if voters had been given a further option of fundamentally changing the Seanad. Unfortunately, the Government chose to present the public with a simplistic either-or proposition. Sinn Féin has long believed the way in which Seanad membership is constructed is inherently undemocratic and it was on this basis that we called for a "Yes" vote to abolish the Seanad.

4 o’clock

Following the public's rejection of the Government's proposal, both the Taoiseach and the Government promised reform of the Seanad. There has been little progress towards that aim in the intervening period. However, we have seen the Seanad and the political system in general further abused by the Taoiseach and Fine Gael in a grubby case which shows Fine Gael is just as adept as Fianna Fáil at stroke politics.

The Seanad is an undemocratic institution that is not elected by the people but by 1% of the population. In a modern republic it is entirely unacceptable that the vast majority of the population is disenfranchised. Simply put, the way the Seanad currently functions suggests that all people are equal, but that some are more equal than others. Six Senators are elected by the graduates of universities, 43 are elected from five panels of nominees and 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach. Is the Government afraid of giving a real voice to the public on the composition of the Seanad?

Throughout the life of the Seanad we have seen it abused and misused by consecutive Taoisigh as a reward home for some and a launch pad for others. However, I agree with Deputy O'Brien that many current and previous Members of the Seanad have been people of the highest calibre, with very good motivation and intent in terms of contributing to debate on the issues that matter. While the ideals and aims of the Seanad, as a check on the actions of the Dáil and a forum of consideration by specialised groups, are to be commended, it rarely functions in this way. During the lifetime of the present Government the Seanad has voted with the Government on almost every occasion, with one or two notable and newsworthy exceptions.

I note that Fianna Fáil campaigned for the retention of the Seanad, but also that in 14 years in government no effort was made by Fianna Fáil to reform the Seanad. To do so might have cost it, by losing some of the perks it could dole out to its political friends.

We can no longer support an institution that is based on such an unjust system of appointment. Sinn Féin proposes that the Government meet and discuss with all interested parties and groups affected, along with civic society in general. We support the introduction of universal franchise for all future Seanad elections. We also support a guarantee of 50% women members. The old boys' club mentality must end. We would also increase all-Ireland and international links by introducing Northern and diaspora representation. We would break the elitism of the Seanad by ensuring representation of marginalised minority groups within Irish society. Sinn Féin calls on all Members of this House who believe in fair and democratic representation for our population to support us in this effort to reform the Seanad.

With regard to the amendments, Fianna Fáil has proposed its own version of Seanad reform. As I have already said, it is a great pity that this is something it did not find the time to do while in government. It had an unprecedented opportunity to do so over an unbroken term of 14 years. In its amendment Fianna Fáil continues to support elitism. It would continue to deem university graduates more suitable to take part in the democratic process than their non-university graduate peers. It would continue to have the helpful situation, for it, of Taoiseach's nominees and would only open a proportion of seats to universal franchise. This should hardly surprise us.

The Fine Gael and Labour Party Government also has "a plan" for Seanad reform. Associating its plan with genuine reform of the Seanad is nothing short of baloney. Fine Gael has shown no more respect for the recent referendum result than Fianna Fáil did during its years of inaction.

I do not share the Government's minimalist views of the reforms that are necessary. Its reform plan is nonsense. Fine Gael has done worse than nothing to realise the commitments it made regarding the Seanad in the wake of the referendum. It has been an insult to the electorate that voted against the simple abolition of the Seanad. As recently as the latest by-election, we have seen Fine Gael misusing appointments in an effort to get its man elected to the vacant Seanad seat. In doing so, it has run the risk of the population losing all confidence in the Seanad and in politics in general.

The Government reform plan is pathetic, while Fianna Fáil, which failed to do anything when it had the opportunity, would now hardly change a jot. Government Members will recall that the final report of the Constitutional Convention, upon which the Government has yet to make its position known and Dáil time available for debate, recommended the establishment of a fresh convention with a comprehensive constitutional reform mandate, to consider a range of issues, including Seanad reform. Indeed, Seanad reform was one of the priority issues the convention short-listed for emphasis during its final deliberations, as a mark of respect to the people's recent verdict in the referendum. The Government should demonstrate by its actions that it respects the convention and, by extension, that it respects the people, and establish a second Constitutional Convention with an explicit mandate for Seanad reform. I hope the Chief Whip will share my serious proposition with his colleagues in the Cabinet. Hopefully, he will be an advocate for such a step to be taken. There is unanimity across the House on the value of the Constitutional Convention process. That has been well demonstrated and acknowledged. A reconstituted Constitutional Convention with an explicit mandate to address Seanad reform would make a worthwhile contribution to this overall project.

Given the pathetic track record of all the establishment parties on this issue, we would have much greater confidence in the ability of citizens to formulate Seanad reform proposals that are meaningful, workable and can command broad popular support. Certainly, we have no confidence that the other parties have the will to do so. Why refer the matter to the Constitutional Convention when Sinn Fein has its own proposals? If Sinn Féin were in government, we would take our lead from such a citizen-dominated body. Through this and other fora, we would engage with the citizens directly and seek their views on the sufficiency of our reform proposals. While we are confident that our plans stand up to scrutiny, we equally recognise that ordinary citizens can make their own astute observations and contribute valuable additional ideas, perspectives and nuance that can enhance the proposals we have formulated. We would welcome such input. We are not afraid of the people.

We therefore once again urge the Government to mandate a fresh Constitutional Convention, comprised of a demographically representative citizen majority and an elected representative minority, to deliberate and make its considered recommendations on Seanad reform as an issue of fundamental public importance. The Government must now act on Seanad reform in a meaningful way. The first thing it could do is withdraw its amendment and support the proposition in the Sinn Féin motion. Tacagaí linn Seanad níos cothroma a chur ar fáil.

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