Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My colleague, Senator Conway-Walsh, has already outlined in great detail our overall party position. I want to bring a few more points to the attention of the Minister.

I commend the job done by the working group on Seanad reform. We recognise the hard work and commitment given by the group to this task. As a party, Sinn Féin welcomes a number of the recommendations the group made, in particular the proposed expansion of the electorate to those in the North and the diaspora. We also welcome the increased provision for 30 of the 60 seats to be elected by popular vote.

The Bill is a step in the right direction and we will support it. However, we have concerns that it does not go far enough to reform the Seanad in any radical way. I refer to a point made by Senator O'Donnell. Any significant reform of the Seanad needs to see a systematic change in how we do our business. I want to make two or three points in that regard.Sinn Féin recommended to the working group a number of areas where we feel the Seanad can take real ownership and responsibility with regard to scrutinising legislation and providing checks and balances. One area in which this can be done is in equality proofing of budgets and legislation. Over 60 countries have already either implemented or are working towards equality proofing budgets and legislation and the Seanad could be a real forum for such intense evaluation. Other countries have adopted the process of equality proofing due to the wide-ranging and complex impact that legislation can have on different socio-economic groups. The process involves working with NGOs as well as carrying out internal research to evaluate to some degree what impact legislation will have on areas such as poverty, deprivation and gender inequality. Often legislation can be rushed, things can be over looked and, when addressing legislation, groups can have a narrow deficit management focus rather than looking at the wider implications on marginalised and minority groups. This is where equality proofing is required. This type of process should be an essential area of focus and is something we could all be proud to say we prioritise in the Seanad.

We could provide significant oversight of statutory instruments. I have one here that was passed at the beginning of last month, which is 150 pages. It is key legislation on public procurement. Nobody in the Dáil or Seanad has had a look at something as important as this and been able to give input into it. It is a massive gap in the legislative oversight that we could address. Our colleague, Senator Nash, expressed his frustration last night at the lack of oversight of statutory instruments during our statements on public procurement. Key EU directives on public procurement have been transposed into statutory instruments without any debate in the Dáil or Seanad, even though the manner and content of how they have been transposed will have significant implications on many levels, not the least on missed opportunities to enhance badly needed protections for workers and their terms and conditions.

Ministerial appointments are made with no consultation from anyone outside of a very small circle of individuals. If someone is going to be appointed to a position of such significant responsibility, like housing or health, and be given an additional €70,000 top-up to their Deputy's wage, that individual should be vetted by this House and scrutinised to ensure that he or she is fit for such a role. Otherwise, an incompetent Minister could see a portfolio collapse under their watch and we would be left in a terrible state. Is this not an area where we, in the future, could provide a check and balance? Those are a few specific areas of scrutiny where we feel the Seanad could take some ownership and responsibility. We are disappointed the working group did not take these suggestions on board. However, we feel the Bill is a step in the right direction and we will be supporting it on Second Stage.

I will make two other points before I finish. Reflecting on Senator Norris's comments on house painters and tradesmen, I suggest that if we had a few more working class voices in both Houses of the Oireachtas, perhaps the country would not be in the huge mess it has been in for many of its 90 years of independence. I was quite offended by that comment. It validates the Sinn Féin position on doing away with privilege based on the amount of education a person has.

My last point is a little bit negative but I have to be honest with the Minister of State. I suspect that perhaps his Department is somewhat reluctant to embrace this reform in reality. I hope I am wrong. Everyone in this Chamber has contributed in a positive way today and I think everyone is very genuine. I have a concern which I will put out there that at some point, perhaps despite all of our best intentions, this Bill will be buried. It will be a tragedy if that were the case.