Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Mar a bhí mé ag rá aréir, cuireann sé olc orm go bhfuil an Bille seo á chur tríd chomh tapaidh sin agus go bhfuiltear ag iarraidh deireadh a chur le Teach daonlathach de chuid na tíre seo atá lárnach san Oireachtas.

Ta an t-Oireachtas déanta suas den Dáil, den Seanad agus den Uachtarán.

D'oibrigh an Teach seo go maith ó 1922 go dtí an lá atá inniu ann, cé gur cuireadh deireadh leis ar feadh cupla bliain, idir 1936 agus 1937. Tá sé ráite go soiléir ag ceannaire Fhine Gael go bhfuil sé ag iarraidh deireadh a chur leis an Teach seo mar gur thug sé gealltanas roimh an toghcháin dheireannaigh agus go raibh sé ag iarraidh na costais a bhaineann leis an Teach a ghearradh. Ní fheictear domsa cén dóigh a dtiocfaí costais a chur in áit an daonlathais. Tá deireadh curtha leis na comhairlí baile agus tá an plean sin fáiltithe ag an Rialtas. Cuirfear deireadh, mar sin, le 80 comhairle baile ar fud na tíre, cé go bhfuil comhairleoirí baile áitiúla ag obriú go gníomhach i mbailte cosúil le Leitir Ceanann, Bun Cranncha agus Béal Átha Seanaidh i nDún na nGall. Cuireadh deireadh le toghchán do bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta. Daoine a bhfuil baint acu le páirtithe an Rialtais atá ar an bhord an údaráis anois, daoine nár toghadh ag muintir na Gaeltachta. Seo an tríú chéim. Is é sin deireadh a chur le Seanad Éireann.

Is mór an trua go bhfuiltear ag dul ar aghaidh le Bille den chineál seo. Botún mór atá ann. Cuirimse fáilte roimh an reifrinn a bheith ann. Ba chóir dúinn reifreann a bheith againn agus ath-bhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an dóigh a oibríonn an Teach, an éifeacht atá ag baint leis agus an dóigh atá na Seanadóirí go léir tofa don Teach.

Tá go leor ráite ag saineolaithe agus doiciméid foilsithe ag coistí Dála. Bunaíodh coiste bunreachtúil i 2004 agus rinne sé cuid mhór oibre. Bhí reifreann ann i 1969 agus vótáil na daoine go mbéadh vóta i dtoghchán an tSeanaid ag céimithe os na institiúidí 3ú leibhéal go léir sa tír. Tá sin go léir curtha a leataobh ag ceannaire Fhine Gael, an Taoiseach, an Teachta Éanna Ó Cionnaith. Tá sé fá choinne deireadh a chur leis an Teach in áit reifreann ceart a bheith ann agus deis a thabhairt do dhaoine vóta a chaitheamh trí dóigh.

As regards the legislation before us, it is with regret that we are discussing the abolition of Seanad Éireann instead of discussing the future of this House. I have no issue whatsoever with holding the referendum but, as currently constructed under the terms of this Bill, it is much too narrow. There should have been a proper debate over a period with the public as to what type of Seanad, if any, they want to have in future.

I subscribe to the notion that we have to reduce the burden on the Exchequer but there are many ways of doing so. Abolishing one of the democratic institutions of the State is simply a political gimmick that is too easy to use when money is tight. If that were the case, why did Governments from the 1930s to the 1980s not end the Seanad in those decades when there was less money available to the State? It was because they did not want to attack democracy as a cost-saving exercise.

Before the last general election, the leader of Fine Gael bemused many of his own party membership and members of the parliamentary party by announcing at a dinner that he was going to abolish Seanad Éireann. It may have been popular at the time because people were disengaged from politics, partly due to Ministers in my own party who were in government previously.