David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Minister of State, in particular in light of her recent difficulties. I spoke about the disgraceful behaviour of RTE and I continue to maintain it was rather like somebody setting a match to a house to show it was a fire risk. It was a dreadful provocation of criminal behaviour, the Minister of State was unjustly caught up in it and I sympathise with her.

This Bill is much ado about nothing. It is a glorious missed opportunity. In reality, what is being addressed is the amalgamation of two bodies, the general council of county councils and the municipal authorities group. As they merged, they lost their capacity to be nominating bodies and so on. That is being reinstated and another one is being included, which is fine. Everybody in this House has great respect for the county councils and the members thereof, always heaps praise on them and so on. This is because the councillors are Members' electorate and so that is natural. However, in her contribution the Minister of State stated the register is renewed annually. The word "renewed" is an interesting choice in that it is renewed as a sort of stamp of approval and is done by rote. It should be reviewed, not renewed. I do not believe these panels have been reviewed properly since 1947. They are not in tune with the 21st century and this was an opportunity, because it could be done by legislation, to review the whole lot, not just the ones where the county councils are incommoded. This was an opportunity to review the entire panel system and structure in respect of nominating bodies in order to have something that reflects the realities of life in 21st century Ireland. One then could go one step further and enfranchise the ordinary membership of these organisations to enable them to have the capacity to vote. One then would get a revitalised Senate. There is some argument for continuing the political system to include some people who have been in the Dáil, have been Cabinet Ministers and so on. I started off as one who condemned this practice as a safety net or nursing home for failed politicians and so on but I now believe, as a result of my experience over the years in Seanad Éireann, that to have people with the experience of working in the Cabinet or in the Dáil can be quite useful. They have an insight that is valuable and consequently, I believe there should be a minority of seats which can cater for people who have failed at a general election for the Dáil.

I reiterate the main purpose is to satisfy the councils so they still are a nominating body. That is the reason, motivation and purpose of the Bill and the rest of it is window-dressing. For example, there is a great fanfare that candidates for the university seats will be allowed to send one item of postage to each of their electors. I have been doing that for the past 30 years and there is absolutely nothing whatever that is new about this provision. Moreover, they are not following the revised provisions for Dáil Éireann. Consequently, why not simply leave the position as it is and make new arrangements for Dáil Éireann? There is no need to touch the university seats at all.It is interesting that they did not seek to apply the 1979 amendment. That would have been an interesting debate and I would have had particular views on that but they decided not to do that.

There is trickery and illusion here. The next issue is the Dáil and the new proposals for postage which will give savings of some millions of euro. I suppose that is to be welcomed. There is not an awful lot to say about this Bill. It is pretty bloody straightforward and I disagree with my colleague on this side who said it was a pity we did not have more time and that there was far more that could be said. I think there is very little to be said.

I wish to raise the issue of blind people because the Minister of State said she has consulted with organisations for the blind. In her speech today, she said:

Following on from the review of the format of the referendum ballot paper earlier this year officials in the Department also consulted with the National Adult Literacy Association and with the National Council for the Blind in the review of the Dáil election ballot paper. It is proposed to move the space for including the emblem of a political party from the left-hand side of the ballot paper to a new location to the left of the photograph. There will, therefore, be no boxes along the left-hand side of the ballot paper.

Could the Minister of State explain what use that is to a blind person? What use is it? I do not see one. Perhaps there is some kind of arcane use but I cannot see one unless it is embossed or something in Braille. That would be an idea. Why not have a certain limited number of Braille ballot papers for the blind? That would be of some use. To use a punning quotation, moving the picture here and there will not make a blind bit of difference to the blind. At least, I do not see how it will. It is just shifting things around. That is all I have to say. It is a glorious missed opportunity for some degree of real measured Seanad reform. This is not it. It is just a "fix it up" job with a bit of sellotape and a pair of scissors. That is all that is involved in this so it is nothing to get excited about. There is plenty of time to talk about it because there is nothing in it to talk about.