Seanad debates

Thursday, 2 February 2012

Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Second Stage

 

1:00 pm

Photo of Maurice CumminsMaurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan for coming to this House to present this Bill. I thank him for his commitment to the objectives in this Bill and to this House.

This is a Seanad Bill and it gives this House a real opportunity to influence the legislation that will be enacted. I know that fine suggestions will be forthcoming from Seanad members. The Government faces an historic challenge in these straitened times. The trust of the nation has been invested in it and I know the Government is committed to honouring that trust. While the economic difficulties need to be tackled as a priority, there is a clear need for the political structures to be improved. To this end the political classes in Ireland must embrace change, share the burden and lead by example. The Fine Gael-Labour Party Government includes an ambitious programme for reform of the political system. If our political system is to regain credibility and relevance, it must change. Our system of government must modernise and start to deliver better services with less resources. To that end the Government has introduced this Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011 to endeavour to enhance the openness and transparency of political funding and to provide a more equal and representative political system by increasing the number of women in politics.

The Bill proposes to increase the barriers to corporate donations by reducing the cap on donations and increasing transparency. The Bill also proposes to use the existing public funding of political parties in Ireland to promote greater gender balance in both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Bill marks a very important step forward in increasing transparency so that in future, expressions such as "golden circle", "crony Government" and "crony capitalism" will be consigned to the dim and distant past. The public deserve and should be entitled to expect that their voice and representation is not trumped by big monied vested interests. The creation of a new public register of public donors which will be maintained by the Standard in Public Office Commission, and will be readily available and accessible to the public, is a major step forward. Lowering the thresholds for full disclosure of political donations from €5,078 to €1,500 is another step in the right direction. By increasing the duty of disclosure by politicians and political parties, this Bill will undoubtedly help to diminish the perception of the public that arose under previous Governments, that public representatives were abducted and influenced by private sector vested interests. This type of reform is a critical starting point in rehabilitating the image of politics and politicians in the minds of the Irish electorate. It will start a debate from which we in the Seanad could learn as we seek to improve our image with the electorate.

I have tried in the short time I have been Leader to introduce change and while some of it has worked and has been well received, changing habits and deeply ingrained practices is never an easy task. On that point I wish the Minister well with the Bill.

I do not propose to spend too much time on the gender balance aspect of the Bill as it may have been addressed by my colleague, Senator Keane, and will be addressed also by my party colleagues, Senators Clune, Henry and Healy Eames. Suffice to say I am a strong supporter of the Government's ambitions to increase the representation of women in the political system. This commitment was reflected by the Taoiseach, as has been mentioned by Senator Averil Power, whereby seven out of the 11 nominated Senators were women. It is heartening to note that there are 18 women Senators, out of 60, and that we are doing considerably better than the other House which has 25 women Deputies out of 166.

Some of the best and most successful ambassadors of the Seanad have been women. In particular, I call to mind Dr. Mary Robinson who very graciously spoke to the Seanad recently on her reflections as a woman in Seanad Éireann in 1969 where there were just six women Members of the Seanad. Dr. Robinson provided us with a most amusing anecdote when she described how she was politely informed by lady Members of the Seanad at that time that women should wear hats. Times have changed and moved on since then. We all appreciate the significant contribution that women have made and continue to make in the House. I thank and acknowledge the presence of former Senator Mary Henry in the Visitors Gallery who was one of the finest members of the Seanad in my time. Her contributions, certainly to mental health issues, were excellent at a time when mental health did not receive the prominence that it rightly and thankfully receives now.

The Bill marks a significant step in addressing the under-representation of women in the Dáil. I wish the Minister well with its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas. I am sure we will have a productive and informative debate on the issues on Committee Stage.

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