Peter Callanan (Fianna Fail)

I join with others who have welcomed the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, to the House and congratulate her on her continuing role in Government.

It is somewhat ironic, given that it is Deputy de Valera who is here, that in discussing a Seanad reform document, the production of which took much time and effort by many people, we are discussing proposals to change a Seanad set up by her late grandfather. It is good to examine and debate what we are doing here and we will, I hope, be constructive in our comments. I assume that all comments on the debate have been constructive.

My reason for coming here to make a contribution is that I have difficulty in accepting some of the recommendations of the report, although there is some good in it as well. That is to be expected. I will deal first with a particular issue of concern relating to the system of election to Seanad Éireann. Why change it? Perhaps the Cathaoirleach would expect me to ask that, having been elected under that system, but that is not necessarily the reason I ask. I ask the question against the background of whether the system has served Seanad Éireann and the Legislature well. I conclude that it has. It is democratic and I know of no other form of election that would be more democratic. I have no reason to believe that the new system as proposed in the recommendations would be more democratic. I do not believe it would; it would be totally centrist. The suggestion that a political organisation, whether it is my political organisation or another, would determine who should be on the list is wrong.

The system we have, whereby Members of the Seanad are elected by Members of the other House, members of local authorities, corporations, etc., is a democratic system because all of those bodies are elected by the people. I expect there has been comment about the role of the county councillor and the local authority member in this election. We have approximately 960 local authority and county council members in the country at the moment. Each of those was elected by the people in his or her own electoral area and knows the people's requirements. When we canvass during election campaigns we are put through the mill, whether we are on a vocational panel or on the Oireachtas panel. We are asked questions and if we are elected we are expected to live up to the answers we give. No other system is more democratic. Most democratic countries around the world have two Houses; only a few small countries do not. To do away with a democratic system that has stood the test of time begs certain questions.

If one evaluates either the vocational panel system or the Oireachtas system one will find they have selected good people. I was nominated by ICOS, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, which embraces the totality of agriculture and has two nominations which many people seek, but which are not easy to come by. Historically the Seanad nominating bodies have selected good people. If I say that about myself, I hope I will be forgiven but that is the situation as I see it. Equally, perhaps there is a need to examine the vocational bodies as they are set up for nominating panels. Needs have evolved and changed. That aspect could be examined and I would not object to that.

Furthermore, in terms of inside and outside panels, I am on the outside while others are on the inside. The weighting of votes in the determination of where seats should go is unfair. We should have a straight system. Whoever is first past the post should be deemed elected. In the Constitution there is provision for Members of Seanad Éireann to be appointed to Government and this has been done on two occasions to the best of my knowledge. The late Senator Seán Moylan was appointed to the Cabinet by Éamon de Valera. Professor Jim Dooge was appointed to the Cabinet by former Taoiseach, Dr. Garret FitzGerald. I expect that if the need ever arose, that could be done again and that provision should be retained as it is currently enshrined.

I wish to say a few words on what I see as an expanding role for Seanad Éireann. Since 1937, systems have evolved. We have joined Europe which, to many people, is still a distant entity. We now have scrutiny of EU legislation in various committees. Perhaps Seanad Éireann could play a role in that area. In the recent past, various MEPs have addressed the House. They came in for 40 minutes and made a presentation. There should be more open dialogue, questions and answers.

The last issue on which I will comment, and I thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence, is the evolving nature of this country's role. The political climate is changing. In the past, we had a 26-county Republic and the Six Counties in the North were totally hostile. This morning and yesterday on the Order of Business, reference was made to the DUP's Dr. Ian Paisley and his team coming here for the first time to meet Irish Government officials on official business. That is good. We have the cross-Border institutions which were set up under the Good Friday Agreement and we have set up many other structures. Dare I suggest there is a role for Seanad Éireann as an all-Ireland institution? I do not have answers but I have some thoughts on the issue. Dare I ask that Seanad Éireann become the first all-Ireland institution with elected, appointed or nominated Members representing communities in the Six Counties?

I long for an all-Ireland institution and a 32-county Republic. It is my wish to see this achieved before I pass over the great divide. I belong to the republican party which has as its philosophy a united Ireland by constitutional and peaceful means. Is there not a role for Seanad Éireann in this regard? I believe there is and we should apply ourselves to this rather than making cosmetic changes. Reference was rightly made to emigrant representation in the Seanad. However, if a role cannot be given to the people with whom we share the island, how can one be given to those emigrants in Australia, America and elsewhere?