Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I am pleased to be speaking about the issue of reform so early in the life of the current Seanad. All too often, members of the public have questioned me about the relevance and legitimacy of this House. I am glad the Green Party has put forward this motion and would like to see cross-party support on the issue. Some may argue that a certain section of society would not be well served by Seanad reform. To be more specific, Senators would argue it is like turkeys voting for Christmas. I disagree with that, however, because reform is in our interest. It will add legitimacy to the House and, as a result, increase its prestige and standing.

I would like to see change in the composition of the Seanad and the type of work it carries out. The 2004 reforms proposed 65 seats in the Seanad which would be elected by councillors, Deputies and Senators, as well as six from the university panels. While I am aware of the incomparable contributions made by Senators elected from the university panels, their system of election is archaic. We need to consider the complete removal of university panels because it is not fair to give somebody a vote purely on the basis that he or she had the benefit of a university education. It is unjust, undemocratic and elitist. A previous speaker asked what is wrong with elitism. Not long ago, people in this country fought for the right to share the franchise with women and those who did not own property. Elitism goes against the principle of equality and for that reason we need to scrap the system of election based on education. I want those seats to be added to a national list system.

Reform is also needed on the system of indirect election by councillors. I am aware the current proposals call for the number of seats thus elected to be reduced from 43 to 20 but I would like to reduce the number to ten. I recognise that some Senators and councillors will face difficulties in such a system, so we should consider the experience of the UK House of Lords and introduce reform on a gradual basis. After implementing the present proposals, we could wait then five years before considering a further reduction in the number of seats elected by councillors and Deputies. That should be built into the legislation.

With regard to the work undertaken in the House, we should spend more time dealing with European issues and, as recommended in the report, organisations should come before the House to present their annual reports and take questions from Senators. These steps would foster greater interest in the work of the House among members of the public.

I welcome the debate and compliment the Green Party on tabling the motion. I will, however, support the amendment tabled by the Fine Gael Party as the report on Seanad reform must be implemented sooner rather than later. Failing this, I will press my party to introduce a Private Members' Bill during the term of this Seanad.