Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for the chance to clarify the record and confirm that there is no change to the Government's commitment. We will go through the formalities. I must have missed the matter in the debate on the leadership contest.

A Programme for a Partnership Government confirms the Government's commitment to pursue the implementation of the Manning report. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the Senator and reassure him that the Government remains committed to the implementation of the Manning report on Seanad reform.

Following the Seanad referendum, the then Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, established an independent working group on Seanad reform in December 2014. The principal focus of the working group was on the possible reform of the Seanad electoral system. The working group also explored ways of reforming Seanad Éireann generally and the manner in which it carries out its business. The group examined these issues within existing constitutional parameters.

The key recommendations in the report were that the majority of Senators should be elected by the popular vote in a one person, one vote system and that this principle should be extended to include Irish citizens in Northern Ireland and those living overseas who hold a valid Irish passport; that there should be a review of the panel system; that provision should be made for the online registration of voters and downloading of ballot papers; that there should be a greater role for the Seanad in the scrutiny, amendment and initiation of legislation; and that an interim limitation body should be established to oversee the implementation of the changes.

The then Taoiseach welcomed the report when it was published and said there needed to be a public and political discussion and consultation on it. During 2015, Members of the last Seanad had the opportunity to discuss the recommendations in the report with two members of the working group, namely, former Senators, Maurice Manning, who chaired the working group, and Joe O'Toole. The Seanad also had the opportunity last year to debate many of the recommendations in the Manning report relating to reform of the process and system for electing Senators during the debate to which Senator McDowell referred on his 2016 Bill.

While this is not the time to go over all of that debate, on that day we discussed the significant challenges these reforms present and that there were more decisions to be made around those reforms because there was conflict in the Bill and the Manning report. All that could be teased out. We discussed the fact that it will be difficult, but that we were prepared to do that and it would take time. There would be significant implementation challenges presented by reforms, but we would have to work through that. That commitment was given on the day of that debate. I clearly pointed out that there were still choices to be made around some of the suggested reforms.

In addition to that debate, in response to a suggestion by Deputy Micheál Martin in the Dáil in 2016, the then Taoiseach agreed that the interim implementation proposed in the Manning report should be set up, comprising members of all parties and groups in the Dáil and Seanad, provided that there was all-party support for its implementation. On foot of this, he wrote to party leaders and Dáil and Seanad groups seeking agreement for the setting up of an implementation group and seeking nominees. I understand this process is ongoing, with a small number of nominees awaited. I hope that this process will be concluded as soon as possible and that the Oireachtas implementation group will be established in the very near future.

In the meantime, and for the information of Senators, I would like to draw their attention to the options paper on voting at the presidential elections by citizens resident outside of the State published by my Department last March. Many of the implementation issues that arose during the debate on the Seanad reform proposals are reflected and addressed in that paper. These include the need to modernise the process for the registration of voters, and in this context the Government decided work on that should proceed. This has commenced in the Department. It will benefit both agendas.

It is a significant and essential task, and critical to the achievement of the reforms proposed for the election of Members to the House because the system would be quite similar. Matters are progressing. I am not sure that all the nominations have been sent in because there were some delays, but I will check the situation and update the Senator.