Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

RTÉ reported today that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, will be bringing plans to Cabinet to amend the Electoral Reform Bill 2022 to ensure finance from outside the State does not influence selections. This is a very positive development, which we welcome. We have been calling for it for some time, but it needs to be done properly. These amendments, strictly speaking, are outside the scope of the legislation. I spoke in detail on Second Stage of the Bill about the need to introduce legislation on this matter. We are quite surprised that the media have been told that the amendments in this regard will be introduced to the Electoral Reform Bill.

Tomorrow at 11 a.m. is the deadline for amendments to the legislation. Given that there are such significant changes to the initial scope of the Bill, what is needed now - there is precedent for it - is a return to a form of mini-Second Stage debate to discuss in detail some of the significant proposals the Minister appears likely to make in regard to the financing of politics from outside the State. We would welcome that important debate and it is one we should have in this House. I propose that we delay Committee Stage to allow that debate to happen in detail on Second Stage.

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