Results 4,461-4,480 of 7,163 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 37: In page 40, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “Voting rights review 55.(1) The Commission shall conduct a review of voting rights and entitlements. This shall include, but not be limited to: (a) lowering the voting age to 16; (b) extending voting rights to all residents; (c) extending voting rights to citizens living in Northern...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank all members who came in on this and the Minister of State for his comments. I welcome the commitment from the Minister of State that the commission will be tasked early on with looking at this and at the Scottish example in terms of the lower voting age. My point that we are approaching ten years from the constitutional convention and that many of its recommendations still have not...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 39: "In page 41, line 24, to delete “3, 4 or 5 members” and substitute “4, 5 or 6 members”." This amendment seeks to change and delete the terms around the constituency sizes and the number of Members per constituency. It would delete "3, 4 or 5 members" and substitute it with "4, 5 or 6 members". To give some background, there was a very...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank members because some very good points have been made by everybody, including Deputies Ó Broin, Ó Snodaigh, Flaherty and Nash. I thank the Minister of State for his response. There was a very good point made by Deputies Flaherty and Ó Broin that politicians should not be involved with setting this. That is correct. The problem with the legislation in front of us is...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: To clarify, I hope we have the same understanding of the legislation. My reading is that on page 41 of the Bill, section 56(2), the wording copper-fastens the status quo. The relevant section states: ...the Commission shall, in observing the relevant provisions of the Constitution in relation to Dáil constituencies, have regard to the following: [...] (b) each constituency shall...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: That is important. Notwithstanding the research function and looking at voter participation etc., it should not be tied by that wording. The commission should have the flexibility to consider larger constituencies if it would enhance voter participation. It should be free to look at the research and make recommendations. Is that the understanding?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes. Could it go beyond being copper-fastened to constituencies of three, four or five Members, specifically?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: Okay. I will be pressing the amendment.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: Absolutely.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I will speak on amendment No. 47 now, which is that the commission would research how to make voting more accessible for people with disabilities within two years and report on that. This is a very important area. I think all of us are committed to looking at how we can make voting and voter participation more accessible for everyone, especially people with disabilities. For example, the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister for his response. He indicated that returning officers have been asked to ensure, where practicable, that the places where votes are counted are accessible to people with disabilities. It is shocking that, where practicable, we would think it okay in this day and age that count centres in some cases would not be accessible to people with disabilities. Should the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I appreciate the work that has been done. In terms of polling stations, I appreciate that one could have communities where there simply is not an accessible venue. In terms of count centres, the wording there is "to ensure, where practicable, that the place appointed for the counting of votes". I do not understand why the term "where practicable" would be included. I do not understand....

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister of State for that clarification. Given that the recommendations of the 2013 constitutional convention - many of my amendments fall out of that - are almost ten years old, will the commission be asked to look at those recommendations in terms of its research programme?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 47: In page 45, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: "(2) The Commission shall research the impact that the alphabetical order of candidates on the ballot paper has on election outcomes. The Commission shall provide a report to the Joint Oireachtas Committee within 24 months and may make such recommendations to the Minister and the Government as it...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: Imove amendment No. 51: In page 45, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: "(2) The Commission shall: (a) produce radio, TV and online advertisements to promote participation in electoral events; (b) maintain a website and social media platforms dedicated to voter education and awareness; (c) provide training and voter education programmes; (d) engage with schools,...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State and others have made a valid point about the amendment being very prescriptive. I appreciate that this is not the approach that was taken to the drafting of the legislation. That is fair enough. I still have a concern, though, that the commission will ultimately read this legislation and will take its direction from it. Yes, voter education is part of its remit, but...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 56: In page 53, to delete lines 1 to 4. This is a welcome section of the Bill and relates to voter registration for people who are homeless. I am concerned, however, that the criteria in it are too tight because they require an elector registered in a registration area in accordance with the subsection to renew his or her registration annually. I am concerned that...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 May 2022)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes. A third of our representatives in the Dáil come from three-seat constituencies. Another third is from four-seat constituencies. Another third is from five-seat constituencies. We therefore have good balance in that. However, in general, smaller parties or different points of view get squeezed out. In fact, we saw that historically in the Tullymander, when many three-seat...