Joe O'Toole (Independent)

——but in finding his way to that particular Damascus, he found more routes than the Michelin guide has to offer. I wish him well.

Senator Ross looks very comfortable in the role of Cathaoirleach. Among this group there was a feeling that he might have considered a nomination to that office but as he declined, we will not propose anybody at this point. We believe it would be appropriate that the proposed candidates, prior to having their candidacies voted on, would offer to Members their vision for the House and for its reform. I do not think it is too much to ask that we would have a hustings and hear what people have to say before we cast our vote. Only one person has been nominated. Senator Moylan is an excellent candidate and the best on offer so far. We have found him honourable, dependable and trustworthy in the past five years of working closely with him.

We need to make this House lively and constructive in terms of debate and relevant in terms of its business. That means there is a duty on the Leader and the new Cathaoirleach to ensure we deal with issues as they arise. Could we make a simple rule that if an issue is good enough to be discussed in lounge bars and pubs and on television chat shows and radio phone-in shows, we should discuss it in the Chamber at the time and not a fortnight later? We should show leadership in the debate and not be running after the crowd.

I welcome the Cathaoirleach's comments on the reform of the House and noted his enthusiasm for much of that change. No doubt we will discuss reforming the Seanad. There are eight different reports on Seanad reform. In my time as a Member of the House, I have worked on and been a signatory to at least four of them. I was also, on behalf of our group, a member of the committee that worked on the issue in the previous Dáil and Seanad.

The Members of this House are effective and hard-working; that is not the issue. The method of election, however, is undemocratic, unrepresentative, elitist and has no place in a modern democracy. It is no reflection on the elected Members because we must work the current system. However, it is in our hands to change it. We can no longer live with an anachronistic system, and that includes the university seats.

We do not want the soft option of changingthe university representation and making no other changes, which I know those on the Government benches would do in the morning. We need to be creative in making changes which do not reduce the representation produced by the distilled form of democracy whereby the people elected to local government elect another tier. There is nothing wrong with that, it is acceptable and the Seanad report recognises that. If the outcome is to continue to elect the same number through that process, that is fine, but it should not be the same percentage. That would not be correct. In a modern democracy, we must ensure there is as near as possible universal franchise in the election of a House of Parliament. It is not acceptable that election to the Seanad continues in the current way. It is an embarrassment in a modern democracy and is unacceptable to that extent.

The report on Seanad reform was signed off by every group in the previous Seanad and was presented to Government. The Government sent the report to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which set up a joint committee of the Dáil and Seanad to examine it. Senator Boyle of the Green Party is enthusiastic to have the report's measures brought forward, but I remind him that the matter is in the hands of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, who is a member of the Green Party. Let us look for action. We do not need to examine the issue further as all the work has been done. It is now a matter of implementing the report.

Our group will not propose anyone for the office of Cathaoirleach. Previously, we have worked clearly, usefully and productively with Senator Moylan. If his is the only nomination, we look forward to working with him, as he checks the boxes as we see them.