Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

Yes. What could be better than having Senator Norris representing the State as a guest speaker at a tourism venue in New York on that momentous day? The James Joyce industry is major in areas as far away as Japan. The same can be said for any Senator who is experienced in a particular profession or business. The Government should avail of the services of Members of this House in the interests of industry, tourism or agriculture.

Having praised Senator Norris, I now come to an issue which some say we should not discuss, namely the representation of the universities. It is a difficult issue. The Second and Seventh Progress Reports of the All-Party Committee on the Constitution insist that university representatives continue to play a distinctive and valuable role in the working of the Seanad. I salute that work. I know that some of the university representatives are members of parties and contest the Seanad as members of their party, though they are not always successful. I have certain concerns regarding the election process for the six university seats. It is proposed by the committee to allow graduates of all third level institutions to cast a vote. I wholeheartedly support this proposal.

One of the most obvious and tremendous developments since we joined the European Union has been the rise of the institutes of technology. Surely students of these institutes should have the same rights as those of the universities. A referendum was held in 1979 in which over 90% of those who voted supported this initiative. I now call on the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to introduce a Bill to legislate for such changes. I do not think that there has been any precedent where the result of a referendum passed by 90% of those who voted was not implemented by the Oireachtas. That this was left aside is rather strange on the part of all Administrations. I would respect and welcome the views in this area of the university Senators. As someone who sought their support in the election to this House, I appreciate that they might not be very happy with the views I express, but I am doing it because the people have spoken and they must be listened to. I am reflecting how I, and I suspect the majority of the House, voted in that referendum.

I agree with the proposal that there be regional meetings of the Seanad. Perhaps clarification can be given later in the debate on the points raised as no representative of the Government is present. From my knowledge of the Seanad and Constitution, I am not sure if we can hold plenary sessions in regional areas. For example, the Border, midlands and western regional headquarters are located in Ballaghadereen, County Roscommon. The Cabinet has met at Ballaghadereen and in other regions. The first place this Seanad should meet is Ballaghadereen, next door to the home of the well-known former legislator James Dillon.