Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

A broad debate on urgent reform is needed. We are engaged in a great deal of introspection in this House but we need to consider the broader political picture, including local government, the Dáil and, in particular, the electoral system. We have to recognise that our electoral system, which may have been fit for purpose in the Ireland of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, is no longer fit to produce the governance and decision-making processes the country requires. I look forward at the earliest opportunity to a debate on political reform. The problems we have and improvements we can make in this House are minuscule in comparison to the problems in the broader political system.