Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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7. To ask the Taoiseach the position regarding the group being formed to reform Seanad Éireann. [24017/17]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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8. To ask the Taoiseach the status of the implementation group on Seanad reform. [24639/17]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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9. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the establishment of an implementation group on Seanad reform. [25620/17]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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On a point of order, we are on Question No. 7.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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We are Questions Nos. 7 to 9 about the Seanad.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is not the first time the Taoiseach forgot about Seanad reform.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Would I be right in suspecting that of all things, the Taoiseach will forget most quickly and with the least amount of regret the different questions about Seanad Éireann? I know that Mr. Maurice Manning chaired of the implementation group. The group carried out a very detailed report and everything like that. Now we apparently have an implementation plan. From a human point of view, I think we all understand the Taoiseach's reluctance. I am sure that whoever his successor is will go at the Seanad with great gusto. In the meantime, could the Taoiseach possibly update us on where matters stand at this point in time? Is there anything else that he would like to see Seanad Éireann do now that it is available as part of the democratic process, notwithstanding the fact that the Taoiseach once had some ideas to the contrary?

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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As the Taoiseach has said, it is almost ten months since he wrote to the party leaders on the make-up of the implementation group. He also went on to say, if I got it right, that contact continues with the party leaders about the chair. That is news to me and, by the response of the other leaders in the House, it must be news to them as well. Therefore, it is two years since the Manning report on Seanad reform was published. The Taoiseach has not even agreed who the chair of the implementation group will be. At the time, we welcomed the Government's commitment to the Manning recommendations. It was also about the right to vote in Seanad elections for citizens in the North and the diaspora. That reflects, as the Taoiseach knows, the views of the Constitutional Convention of September 2013. However, like other issues, this is a mark of the paralysis of this Government. Before the Taoiseach leaves office, perhaps he could appoint someone to chair the implementation group on Seanad reform.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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In a bout of complete honesty, perhaps the Taoiseach will admit that nothing has happened with this set of proposals and nothing is intended to happen with them. I would like to ask a few very direct questions. Is it the fixed Government position that the Manning proposals are the blueprint for what should happen into the future? If the answer to that question is "Yes", why has no action been taken to begin the process of implementation? Will there be any changes in the structure of the Seanad or in the electoral process to elect the next Seanad before the next general election?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is fair to say that the Seanad reform issue has been extraordinary and somewhat of a debacle. I wrote back on 2 December with our three nominees. Yet, we received a reply last week saying that there was still ongoing contact with the parties on the nominees for this implementation group.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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To see if the nominees were still alive.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Which political party has not sent in its names? Could the Taoiseach identify who has not responded to his request? We wrote back on 2 December with three names. Has the Fine Gael party finalised its nominees? There has been a kind of silence for the last couple of months. I note from previous meetings that we had during the last Government that the Taoiseach was, to be fair, decidedly unenthusiastic about the whole project. I heard recently that the former Senator, Mr. Maurice Manning, is a good cordial friend of the Taoiseach's and has had the occasional pint with the Taoiseach. He never mentioned anything to do with politics when he had the odd pint with the Taoiseach, but one would have thought that the old matter of the implementation of the Manning report might have surfaced as one pint turned to two or maybe even three. I thought it might have been slipped in at some stage. In a serious vein, we are all committed to it. We have compromised. Our position was for a stronger mass electorate, but we accepted the Manning compromise. It can be facilitated through legislation. Everyone in the House wants it to happen. As one of the Taoiseach's final acts before he hands on to his successor, perhaps he might get it up and running and get it formed.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Has the Taoiseach no insight?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Simon should have been-----