Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government is not opposing the passage of the Bill on Second Stage, simply because we agree with its principle. A strong case has been made in the House in favour of reducing the voting age to 16 years. Some of these points were made at the Convention on the Constitution which voted 52% in favour of reducing the voting age, while 47% voted against. The views of Deputy Peter Mathews were reflected strongly at the convention.

The Government has decided to support the idea that a referendum should be held, but the question of its timing is also important. Two referendums will be held next May. It will not be for the Members of this House to decide whether the voting age will be reduced, but for the Irish people in a referendum.

Some matters need to be examined by the Government in advance of that referendum, for example, legislative changes that could arise, possible secondary implications for the age of majority and the role of education, if lowering the voting age is to have its desired effect on youth electoral and political participation. I was interested in and agree with Deputy Kelleher's comments, in that, if we are to utilise primary and secondary schools, it is important that no specific influence be designed into the system. It should be managed and delivered independently. The education system needs to engage young minds in active citizenship and in considering the impact that electoral politics, politicians, policies and decisions can have on society.

I do not agree with Deputy Crowe, who asked the populist question about why people should keep voting for those who bring austerity or for traditional parties. I would give the electorate more credit. People do not just consider parties' populist policies, but their overall ones so as to determine where a party or Government will take society and how it will manage the economy, the Departments for which it is responsible, etc. It is all very well for the Deputy to criticise this party and previous Governments, but I hope that we are seeing the end of austerity. All recent indicators have shown positive movement in that regard. I fear for our people in the North because they are only starting their term of austerity. Like the Greek Prime Minister, Sinn Féin will soon find that it is a different story when one is in government. Politics is not just about voting people into office, but about being responsible after taking office. This is an important factor in today's debate on 16 year olds. It is not just a question of giving them the vote, although that is important. Instead, it is a question of giving them responsibility for the consequences of how their votes are utilised. This is where deep debate and engagement are necessary prior to a referendum.

I will address a number of issues that arise when holding a referendum. Were the constitutional amendment approved by the people, it would be necessary to introduce an electoral amendment Bill to provide for the registration of an estimated 121,000 16 to 17 year olds. As we all know as politicians, the current system of electoral registration leaves much room for improvement. I welcome the recent announcement of the introduction of an electoral commission to consider such matters. However, if we were to add an extra 121,000 people in the morning, we would have to put the necessary resources in place to allow for it, particularly in local authorities. It is a surmountable issue, but it needs to be planned for properly.

I referred to a number of potential issues that might arise with a voting age that differs from the age of majority. On reflection, we might feel that these considerations do not outweigh the benefits of lowering the voting age, but we must accept that such concerns exist and should be debated in depth and openly. We should also consider and learn from events in other countries to inform what we do. Experience shows that it is not just enough to reduce the voting age and expect positive benefits to flow. We also need to consider the long-term impact.

I welcome this debate and compliment Deputy Stanley on his work in presenting this Bill. We will not oppose it on Second Stage. The Government has committed to holding two referendums in May, so this is a further proposal for consideration.

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