Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senators Zappone, Quinn and Crown and others for bringing this matter forward for debate. It is important to acknowledge that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste met party leaders in December, as mentioned by Senator Bacik and others, and are taking a consultative approach, which is welcome. The vote of the Irish people to retain the Seanad last October was accompanied by a widespread consensus among the public and Senators alike that the issue of Seanad reform needed to be addressed. There is no mistaking how tangible is the sentiment that the Upper House should evolve into a more democratic institution relevant to the needs of our ever-changing and developing society. In particular, strong views exist that the Seanad should lead the reform process by facing squarely up to the major issues and dealing with them objectively and comprehensively. I acknowledge the point made by Senator Zappone and the other eight senators that no provision of Bunreacht na hÉireann requires that the electorate in Seanad elections be composed of such a restricted group as elected city and county councillors, outgoing Seanad Members and incoming Dáil Deputies.

I have no difficulty with the proposal and would welcome the extension of the franchise for the Seanad. It is perfectly understandable that many voters find it hard to feel a connection to this institution when they have no hand, act or part in electing the Members. However, it must be acknowledged that we are elected or appointed primarily by those who have themselves been elected by the people and so, in a sense and albeit indirectly, are representative of the people. It must also be noted that if the franchise is fully extended to the general public, the danger exists of the Upper House becoming a "mini-Dáil", which would be regrettable, as one is clearly enough.

The noble beauty of the Seanad is that it primarily centres its discussions on the bigger picture of how to improve the lives of Irish people without getting bogged down in parish pump politics; that is as it was intended when it was created. Having said that, there is no mistaking that Irish citizens currently see a major gap between themselves and this House. As such, it is important that any reform should give a much greater public legitimacy to this House while ensuring its composition differs from that of the Dáil. In addition, it is important to enhance the prospects of people with particular valued expertise being able to make a contribution to the work of Seanad Éireann. I would like to see a division of labour between the two Houses of the Oireachtas and identification of important jobs that currently fall between the cracks in our political parliamentary system, which other Senators have alluded to.

I would like to see a stronger role for the House in the areas of legislative consultation, and the Seanad - at least physically - played a very significant role in the legislative process in the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill. That example illustrates how this House could be used, although I accept that both Senators and Deputies were in the House for those consultations. Consultations with the committees of the Houses, as mentioned by Senator Bacik, are a good idea, and scrutiny of EU legislation is something that has long been held as a job that could be carried out in this House to great effect. We should be careful what we wish for, as we do not want legislation coming in for the sake of it, and we want to avoid repetition, as Senator Bacik noted.

At this point it is important to note that the Government has agreed that legislation may be prepared by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to implement the 1979 referendum decision, which allows the State to extend the provisions for the election of Members of Seanad Éireann by certain universities to other institutions of higher education in the State. The Government has also confirmed that when the heads of the Bill are ready, they will be circulated to Seanad Éireann, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht and other stakeholders, including the institutions of higher education in the State for consideration. Moreover, this Government has agreed that the question of constitutional reform, which would require a referendum or referendums, can be considered at a later date. I am fully aware that in the course of reform, difficult decisions will have to be taken involving sensitive political matters. If progress is to be made, there is a need to accept the political reality that Seanad Éireann must be reformed if it is to evolve into a more relevant entity which can make a viable and distinctive contribution to the economic, social and political affairs of our country.

The decision of the Irish people last October was not to abolish the Seanad. There is an important distinction, and although we may surmise that there was a decision to reform the Seanad, in reality the decision was not to abolish the House. That referendum has injected a new sense of purpose into Seanad Éireann and I am confident that with the appropriate reform, the Seanad will be empowered to make a major contribution to meeting the challenges facing 21st century Ireland.