Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I will be brief as I am conscious of the time and also that others have been making Second Stage speeches, as Senator Aideen Hayden said. This is not the time to do so.

On the specific points raised, I am grateful to Senator Averil Power for referring to the sunset clause. I will reconsider the most recent evidence on whether it would be wise to include a sunset clause if there is a fear there has been be a falling back and that the culture has not been given enough time to change.

In response to Senator Paul Bradford, we have rehearsed this debate many times. Of course, legislation is not the only solution to the problem of increasing women's participation and I am sure people are fed up hearing about the obstructions facing women, be they Independents or party members. Whatever about the five Cs, there are four Cs that affect all women in trying to enter politics - cash, culture, child care and confidence. The candidate selection procedures apply specifically to political parties; that is the specific obstacle being tackled. Political parties are not the obstacle. I have said they are the gatekeepers, although that is not my phrase 0- it is the phrase used in the international research. They are the gatekeepers who can open or close a gate to political participation by women. That is why they are targeted in the legislation.

On the Portmarnock Golf Club case, there is a question about how one sanctions a private organisation. The Bill, as we recommended, clearly has State funding for political parties as the sanction or incentive to ensure targets are met. That is the key point. It would be very difficult to do this in the case of other organisations. This is the difficulty in the case of Seanad elections. Our report recommended the extension of the principle to European elections because, of course, political parties nominate in the same way as they do for general elections. There is the same difficulty in the case of local elections in deciding on sanctions. It is a matter worth mentioning.

I am interested to hear Senator John Crown is in a female dominated world. I was not aware women were in the majority among consultants in the medical profession.