Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein)

I am not as positive as other Members about this Bill, as they will be aware from how Sinn Féin voted on it in the Dáil. It is a measure of the innately conservative aspect of this charade in political reform that the electoral register has been chosen as a means of selecting delegates from the public to participate in the forthcoming constitutional convention. Of course, we cannot be too surprised at this as the promise of real political reform has been transformed into an exercise of political theatre. This convention will not bring about the new real republic as envisaged in 1916.

As a Member and a citizen, I question how the so-called constitutional convention cannot, for example, discuss even the constitutional benefits and disadvantages of a second House. Earlier, we heard about the ordinary citizen, how this legislation will allow us have access to them and for them to be part of this convention. The problem with using the electoral register to choose them is that it is not representative either of the people who live in this country, of Irish citizens on this island or of Irish citizens abroad.

There are several conditions for one to be on the electoral register. First, one has to be over 18 years of age. This means nobody under that age will have any say on the political reform under which they themselves will live for the coming decades. Second, one has to be a resident of the Twenty-six Counties which obviously disenfranchises Irish citizens living in the Six Counties. Moreover, it disenfranchises all Irish people and citizens living outside the State. It seems to be an insider's way of doing things with those most likely to seek political change not allowed into the process.

We must question whether this is an accident. It is a well-established fact that working classes and poor people are less likely to be on the electoral register. How can a homeless person be registered which would allow them to participate in this process? It is a phenomenon successive Governments have happily tolerated. In effect, it disempowers and disenfranchises the weaker elements of our society who are more likely to be excluded under this method of selection. Alongside these discriminations, the selection process specifically disallows the participation of residents in this country who are not Irish citizens, namely, the hundreds of thousands from abroad who have made Ireland their home. These people will most likely have children who are going to grow up as citizens of this country but they will not be allowed entry to the process.

In my opinion, the legislation is not going to facilitate us in reaching out to the ordinary citizens of the State. It will allow us access to a select group or to a particular demographic only. I have serious reservations about this legislation and that is why I cannot support it. Sinn Féin would like to propose an alternative whereby the CSO would be used to determine the demographic sets. The CSO is a trusted agency and it has in its possession the most detailed information on the people who live in this country. I urge the Minister to consider our proposal in this regard.