Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I respect the points both Senators have made on this subject which we have debated in great detail, not only on Second Stage but also on Committee Stage. The termination of the dual mandate is the stated official policy of practically all the political parties, including the Labour Party and Fine Gael. It is important to keep this at the forefront of our minds.

Senator Tuffy's amendment proposes to end the dual mandate for Deputies but not for Senators. She knows well that this would change considerably the relationship between the Seanad and the Dáil. To be eligible to stand for election to the Seanad one has to be eligible to stand for election to the Dáil and vice versa. If the amendment was made, the Seanad would be on an unequal footing in the Oireachtas. That would be a foolish move.

There have been many opinions expressed on this subject, including those of the General Council of County Councils, the Barrington report on local government, the Second Commission on the Status of Women and the National Youth Council of Ireland. Moreover, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe made similar recommendations last year in its report on local government in Ireland. Therefore, we are not short of eminent reports on the issue.