James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As he said, the purpose of the Bill is to implement the recommendations of the 2003 constituency commission report, which follows the reports of three previous commissions in 1993, 1997 and 1998. The previous reports did not recommend any change to the four constituencies or the numbers to be elected, so this report brings about the first changes since the European elections of 1994.

With my colleagues in Fine Gael, I support the Bill while at the same time regretting the reduction of seats, which hopefully will not be detrimental to future EU funding for this country. That is something I would fear as Europe moves further to the east through enlargement.

The Bill will give effect to the recommendations of the constituency commission regarding European Parliament constituencies that Ireland should have a reduction of two representatives from the 2004 elections, including a reduction of one seat each in the Leinster — that is my area — and Munster constituencies. I have spoken in the House before about the importance of our membership of the EU and the need to foster a sense of pride in that membership among young people in particular. The European Parliament and European affairs generally are not considered important by the public, but they should be. This is evidenced by the turnout for past European elections but, hopefully, there will be an improvement this time around.

The average person in the street might be stuck for an answer if asked what the EU means to him or her. Many people feel that decisions taken in Europe are far removed from them so better PR is required to explain to the electorate what is happening in Europe. Successive Governments have failed to create a greater interest among people about what happens in Europe, including the decisions taken there. A European affairs channel should be introduced on Irish television to encourage increased participation in Europe by providing more information about what happens at the hub of European development.

Our membership of the European Union has brought untold benefits but for many people the only tangible evidence of these are the large blue signs erected when roadworks are being undertaken to indicate that such projects are EU-funded. Our citizens are unaware of the many EU directives that have altered and improved their lives. For those directly affected, either in the farming or commercial sectors, these directives may at times appear unduly punitive, but the benefits are far reaching for all of us.

It is imperative that local authorities promote the role of Europe. In addition, schools and education authorities should make a special effort during the coming months to involve their students actively in being members of Europe. It is important for our future to recognise that our strength lies in being part of Europe. Fine Gael is totally committed to Europe and is aligned to the strongest grouping in the European Parliament. Fine Gael leaders, including the current leader, Deputy Kenny, are recognised within the European People's Party. I am delighted to see that Dublin Bus is doing its best to create an interest in our Presidency of the EU, with buses that are strikingly decorated to reflect this theme.

Apart from the recommendations of the commission report on European constituencies and Members, the Bill makes a number of other changes, one of the most controversial of which concerns proposals on the dual mandate. The Minister of State spoke about that matter earlier. What logic is involved, however, when this Bill, which is totally contrary to legislation ending the dual mandate at local level, will allow a Member of the Oireachtas who is elected to the European Parliament to continue to hold both seats until the next general election? This measure is hypocritical and represents the first signs of cracks developing in the Government's position. It reflects a lack of confidence within the Government, which is afraid of losing a by-election that would otherwise arise as a result of a Deputy being elected to the European Parliament. Given the Government's current performance, it undoubtedly would lose such a by-election.

I understand that the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the man in the gilded carriage, is also running in the elections for Dublin City Council and the European Parliament. That is a total contradiction when one considers who is the national director of elections for Fianna Fáil. In the interests of logic and consistency, it is imperative that the same dual mandate rules are applied to MEPs as are imposed on members of local authorities, and within the same timescale. We need some consistency in this area.

Controversy has arisen over the introduction of electronic voting, which was debated extensively here yesterday. The Opposition consensus is that the system should not be used across the board in the June elections. In fact, electronic voting should not be used until every last vestige of doubt relating to its transparency has been removed. As this would be the first time electronic voting has been used in this country for a European election, it is important that the process is seen to be totally transparent and beyond manipulation.

What view will the European Commission take of the fact that this election is being conducted in a manner that is not acceptable to all those involved in the democratic process? What will it make of the fact that the Minister with overall responsibility for the change is the main Government party's director of local and European elections? Are we living in a democracy, which should be consensus driven, or is this country now to be designated as an autocracy or dictatorship? These issues must be considered.

Aside from matters that can be regarded as wheels within wheels, concerning areas that overlap into other legislative decisions, the Bill is, in essence, non-contentious. Nonetheless, the Minister of State should reconsider the dual mandate issue, which is both wrong and unfair. We need to move forward fairly, rather than in the unfair manner proposed in the Bill.