Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I welcome this Bill which will allow people chosen on a random basis from the electoral register to participate in the constitutional convention. I appreciate Senator Reilly's comment that the electoral register is not a complete picture of the people who live in the country, but it is a good place to start. If it had been proposed that people would be chosen otherwise there would be greater outrage. It is sensible to start with the electoral register. Much of the argument about the constitutional convention has been based on the idea that it does not do all manner of things. That is true as it cannot be all things to all men, women and children. Anybody who has ever tried to propose a piece of work knows that unless one sets out a programme of work that is doable and achievable, nothing is achieved because one is overwhelmed by the mass of work to be done.

It makes sense to start with matters that people who have never sat down and been part of a constitutional convention will be relatively capable of dealing with. Issues such as the voting age and the length of tenure of the President are a good place to start.

The constitutional convention is a much more open way of government and it will give the people an opportunity to be involved in making decisions. Ultimately it will make sense if there is collaboration and co-operation. It is a far cry from the cronyism that marked the 14 years of government prior to the last election.

While the constitutional convention is flawed, and the way people are chosen will not be perfect, let us accept it and see it as a work in progress. Issues such as same-sex marriage and increasing the participation of women in politics will engage many people and will provide opportunities for good debate. The constitutional convention may provide an opportunity for people to raise other relevant constitutional amendments and recommend that action be taken.

We in the Oireachtas say that the people in partnership with the politicians will make the decisions to renew the Constitution. We all recognise that such a renewal is necessary and relevant.