Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for the conciliatory tone of his speech and for his search for a consensus on Seanad reform. I have heard many misinformed comments on the modern relevance of Seanad Éireann from those who should know better. Issues such as lack of regulation in the banking sector and its financial policies were raised in the House long before the debacle in that sector came to light. Legislation is scrutinised to a greater extent in this House than it is in the Lower House.

The Seanad should be reformed. As the Minister stated, a number of reports have been made over the years, but they have not been acted upon by Governments. The Minister seems intent on reforming. I like his attitude, which views half of a loaf as being better than no bread. In this way, we will get something done.

The university seats should be retained, but they should be open to all graduates, an opinion held by the majority of Senators. The Taoiseach being allowed to make as many as 11 nominations must be questioned. The method is designed to give the Government of the day a majority in the House, but it should be used to choose people from several backgrounds and interests. Choosing two people from Northern Ireland, one each from the Unionist and Nationalist traditions, should be considered, as should choosing from groups that are under-represented in society.

The retention of the panel system is contentious. Many nominating bodies show little or no interest in the Seanad other than when they nominate people for Seanad elections. However, other nominating bodies have a real interest and made excellent submissions to the sub-committee on Seanad reform, a fact that should not be forgotten. Those nominating bodies should be examined thoroughly, but the majority of the 43 panel seats should be elected by local councillors, who are elected by the people. The question of the public voting in Seanad elections is important and should be addressed.

The recent report suggests an increase to a 65-seat Seanad, but that is not necessary. A Private Members' Bill tabled by me has been on the Order Paper for some time. It would give the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, the right to nominate someone to contest a Seanad election in the same manner as can the AMAI and the Association of City and County Councils. The Bill would address this anomaly. However, if the Minister agrees with the principle behind the Bill, I will withdraw it.

As my colleague, Senator Coffey, mentioned, Fine Gael today made proposals on the radical overhaul of the Houses. We suggest that 20 of the 60 Senators should be elected by the people along European Parliament constituency lines. Those elections would occur every five years on the same day as the local and European elections and Senators should sit for fixed five-year terms. As my time has almost concluded, I will not encroach on Senator Coghlan's time.