Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to acknowledge the work that has gone into this Bill. It is comprehensive and I commend the Senators for their work on it. However, there are fundamental legal, policy and administrative issues spread throughout the Bill which are problematic. I will expand further on those.

The Government is opposing section 2. The interpretation section is integral to the effect and functioning of the Bill as a piece of legislation. I will address a number of specific issues within this section, while also dealing with matters that arise as a consequence. Section 2 makes provision for foundational elements, and for a key feature of the Bill, namely, the extension of the franchise in Seanad elections to all registered local government electors living in the State, persons resident in Northern Ireland who qualify for Irish citizenship, and Irish passport-holders living abroad. This would create a second directly-elected Chamber of the Oireachtas, with a significantly wider franchise. It must be observed that if the Seanad were to be so configured and the right to vote in Seanad elections so provided for, the Constitution would have been framed in this way.