Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Taoiseach. Is breá an rud é go bhfuil na ceisteanna seo á phlé againn. Glacann muid ar fad leis go dteastaíonn athchóiriú agus leasú ó thaobh an tSeanaid de. Sílim nach fiú tráithnín an leasú sin muna dtugtar cothrom na féinne do gach saoránach má tá céim acu nó nach bhfuil; má tá said dubh, bán nó dath éigin eile; nó má tá airgead ina bpócaí nó nach bhfuil.

Níor chuala mé éinne eile ag caint faoi úsáid na Gaeilge sna Tithe seo. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach stádas na Gaeilge a choinneáil tríd an teanga a úsáid. Déanann an Taoiseach é sin, chun a cheart a thabhairt dó. Caithfear a rá, áfach, go bhfuil céimeanna tógtha ag an Rialtas le stádas na Gaeilge a laghdú ó thaobh Billí a fhoilsiú go comhuaineach, srl. Ba mhaith liom sa phlé seo go gcuirfear an teanga ar ais sa riocht céanna agus a bhí sé agus ba choir dó a bheith.

Any attempt at reforming the Seanad would be a sham and a scam unless it recognised the idea of universal suffrage to remove the elitism that has been mentioned. Whether or not one has money in one's pocket, whether or not one has a degree, or whether one is black, white or any other colour, every citizen should be treated equally, and talk of reform without taking that on board is not reform at all.

The current economic crisis has brought to the fore the gaps and failures inherent in our political system. That this should be the case is an extremely serious situation and one that any mature democracy would seek to address with the utmost urgency. As we speak, many people have lost faith in politicians. The political establishment is viewed as uncaring, dysfunctional, elitist and untrustworthy. For many of our people the political system is seen, with disdain, to be removed from the reality of their everyday lives. The dominant perception is that it is incapable of solving our present difficulties or delivering for ordinary people. This is a shocking indictment of all of us who call ourselves politicians. Let us be honest. That this should be the case is no news to us. This has been the position for some time, yet this and previous Governments have failed to act to rectify it.

Ireland has one of the most centralised systems of government in Europe. With exceptionally weak local government, the institutional apparatus of government at every level is a throwback to another era, to a time when we were under the foot of a colonial power. In the decades since Independence we have failed to develop and create a political structure and system that is capable of evolving with the uniqueness of Irish society. We failed to recognise that the work of nation-building is an ongoing process that evolves over time and that modern flexible political institutions are central to this task.

In the Ireland of today, power is concentrated in the hands of the Executive and the two Houses of the Oireachtas, which are not fit for purpose in 21st-century Ireland. To make matters worse, the Oireachtas lacks serious political oversight, scrutiny or democratic accountability. This has created an urgent need for real and genuine reform of our politics, our political system and its institutions.

Sinn Féin's proposals for reform are based on the party's objective of building a new Republic on this island based on equality and social justice. Sinn Féin would extend the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens in the North and those living and working abroad. We call on the Government to implement the Good Friday Agreement commitment of an all-Ireland civic and consultative forum as a new model of participatory engagement which informs the development of public policy and law-making. Sinn Féin also calls for a real debate on reform of the Seanad and possibly extending the remit of the Constitutional Convention, as has been suggested, to look at that issue. We call on the Government to give a commitment to introduce a comprehensive programme of political reform of our entire system, but such reform must be genuine. It must guarantee better democratic representation for traditionally excluded groups such as women, the unemployed, ethnic minorities, Travellers, the disabled and people from working-class communities. We must have better oversight and accountability for all organs of Government. We need better local government and better governance. On the latter, we can begin by capping ministerial salaries at €100,000 and Deputies' salaries at €75,000. We should also scrap freedom of information fees and allow the public to scrutinise public records.

We cannot afford to delay root and branch reform any longer.

We have also made a number of other suggestions in our reform document, which I am sure Members have all read. One of these concerns the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. We also propose extending the right to vote in presidential elections to all citizens, reducing the voting age to 16, establishment of an independent electoral commission to oversee elections and the introduction of a partial list system for Dáil elections to ensure diversity of representation. We would like to see the Opposition permitted to introduce money Bills in the Dáil, to see a new select committee of Opposition leaders established to scrutinise the Department of the Taoiseach and the end of the use of guillotines.

Go pearsanta, ba mhaith liom go dtabharfaí ar ais an toghchán go dtí bord Údarás na Gaeltachta chun an daonlathas a chaomhnú ansin. Táim cinnte go dtógfaidh an Taoiseach na smaointe seo ar bord. Táim an-bhuíoch dó faoi éisteacht a thabhairt dom.