David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 3, before section 2, to insert the following new section:

"2.—In this Act "Act of 2002" means the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2002.".

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This is a technical amendment but I would like to raise a number of issues. I referred on Second Stage to the need for genuine political reform and said that my party would support genuine reforms in the operations of both Houses of the Oireachtas. One of the commitments given by the Government parties during the election campaign was to reduce the number of Deputies by 20 and to abolish the Seanad. My party had serious difficulties with these promises because we looked on them as opportunistic and everything that has happened since, including in this legislation, proves that. The legislation has provided the Government with an opportunity to save face and back-track on the commitments given. The reduction in the number of Deputies will be much lower than 20.

The Bill also represents missed opportunities. There is a partitionist mindset in the State and I was struck by this when I was elected to this Chamber and as I observed debates on political reform over many years. No effort has been made, for example, to improve the dynamic and the relationships between this State and Northern Ireland and between the Assembly and the Oireachtas. Many commitments were given in the Good Friday Agreement regarding voting rights for Northern Irish citizens and the presidential election is an example of that. The President is from Ardoyne, Belfast, and the fact that her family did not have the opportunity to vote for her proves there is a compelling case for all-Ireland voting rights in presidential elections and in elections to the House.

My party put forward many proposals previously in respect of Seanad reform. The Bill was an opportunity for us to embrace genuine and real political reform. As a member of Waterford City Council, I was part of a delegation that appeared before the House in 2003 and at that time statements were taken from every political party and other groupings in respect of Seanad reform. None of those reforms was taken on board and we arrived at a position where the Government parties went for the easy, populist option of calling for the House to be abolished. Yesterday, we had a fruitful, encouraging and worthwhile exchange of views between Members and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food using a new format introduced by the Leader, which provided for statements and a question and answer session. Important questions on the future of agriculture and fisheries were asked by Members and we had a good response from the Minister. That demonstrated again the need, and the space, for a second Chamber in this State.

Political reform is so important that it should not be rushed or based on promises or even a rush of blood to the head by either the leaders of political parties or other politicians in the heat of an election campaign. That is the wrong way to bring about political reform. The Bill falls far short of what is required to strengthen the institutions of the State to ensure greater democracy, accountability, proper checks and balances and best practice in respect of democracy. The Government parties had opportunities to address these but the Bill demonstrates they are attempting to follow through on election promises that perhaps some of their Members now regret. It is very much a watered down version of those promises and, in that context, it represents a big missed opportunity for the State to experience real and genuine political reform.

I ask the Minister of State and the Government to reflect on the need for all-Ireland political reform. Members in this House pay lip service to this. Many of them have made requests for invitations to issue to the First Minister and Deputy First Minster to address this Chamber. I support these because they are important but commitments were given regarding representation in the House by people from the North and in respect of broadening the opportunities for people to vote in elections.

Another opportunity on Seanad reform missed in this Bill is the extension of voting rights to the Irish diaspora. Those are the main issues that should have been considered in this legislation rather than these minimalist and regressive proposals. As I stated on Second Stage, if the Seanad were to be abolished, along with the loss of the talent Senators bring to the Oireachtas, and reduce the number of Deputies and local authorities, then the democratic deficit would be increased. This would not be a good development. For that reason, we have moved this amendment.