Fiach MacConghail (Independent)

I say that without irony. It is an educational and historic debate and I have enjoyed hearing Members' views.

While my colleagues and I have not tabled an amendment to that effect, something should be done in regard to local elections. I listened with interest to Senator Keane's observations in this regard. The Bill does not require quotas to be applied at local level as political experience is one of the most important criterion in the selection of candidates by political parties. Women make up only some 16% of councillors, which is a cause for concern. The Bill does not make provision for sanctions for political parties who do not reach a quota at local level, perhaps in order to encourage voluntary action. There is a sense in which parties are being put on notice that if they do not increase their quota of female candidates over time, the issue may be reviewed. The Bill should be about encouragement as much as anything else, and perhaps we can find some way to incorporate that. In the case of State bodies and non-governmental organisations, there is an expectation that each gender should make up at least 40% of board members. That might be the way to proceed in this Bill. I reserve the right to introduce an amendment to that effect on Report Stage.

While I am in agreement with both Senators Power and Mullen regarding the sunset clause, my sense is that we should not have such a clause in the Bill. This is partly because I am hopeful that at a certain point a 40% participation rate by women will be achieved. The Minister mentioned that percentage being attained seven years after the next general election. We should consider reducing that timeframe on Report Stage. Consideration should also be given to including a requirement that 40% of candidates be men. A sunset clause would undermine the notion that there might be a time when men become less engaged in politics. As such, I am not necessarily in favour of Senator Power's amendment in that regard.

In terms of Seanad reform, I recognise the difficulties arising from the fact that political parties do not necessarily have the power, as Deputy Micheál Martin realised last summer, to dictate which members of a party will become the official candidates. In other words, the control regarding quotas may not be within the gift of a political leader. I suggest that any future bicameral model that might emerge out of the Seanad reform debate should include a provision regarding quotas. If the parties do become gate keepers within a future bicameral model, that requirement should be established now rather than having to introduce another Bill at a later date. In a scenario where the Seanad might not be abolished, there should be some model that encourages political parties to ensure that each gender makes up a certain percentage of candidates. It may be the case that 30% is a more reasonable target than 40% in the case of the Seanad.