Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The first thing that strikes one about the Bill is that it is very simple and short, with only eight or nine lines in it. It is very clear and states that a person shall be entitled to be registered as a European elector in a constituency if he or she has reached the age of 16 years and if, on the qualifying date, he or she was ordinarily resident in that constituency and is either a citizen of Ireland or a national of a member state other than the State. In most circumstances, they would be allowed to vote in European or local elections. Given that it is such a simple and straightforward Bill, it is strange that both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil said we need to wait, perhaps for nine months, to think about it. That is about a month for each line. We have done that now and I hope we can demonstrate to the young people in the Gallery, who are all welcome, that we are here to legislate and not to procrastinate.We are here to support this simple Bill, which, in theory, all political parties are apparently in favour of. I have here the Fianna Fáil document, Engaging the Future. Perhaps it should be called "Engaging the Future In the Future" or "Engaging the Future, but Just Not Now".

In fairness, there is a very good lesson here for the young people in the Gallery. This debate demonstrates how pitiful politics can be at times. I am referring to Fianna Fáil, which tells people that it is in favour of the Bill, but not today. Its document states that it wants to legislate so that young people aged between 16 and 18 can vote in local and European elections next year. We have discovered today that what it really wanted to do was set up a committee to look into the issue in the fullness of time. That is the phrase I use when my son is asking me for a new phone. We know what it means.

Luke Casserly, a member of the Irish Second-Level Students' Union, wrote to me. He made the case much more eloquently than I could in terms of why we need to support the Bill. He said:

I support the lowering of the voting age because I feel we need to empower young people to become actively involved in civic engagement and the political process. I truly and honestly believe that there has never been a time when young people were so impassioned and engaged in their society. Mental health, disability awareness, the eighth amendment and so many more issues prompt young people to write articles, start petitions and take to the streets. It is time to empower these young people and respect them to the degree that we allow them to be equal to everyone else in Ireland.

That is all we are looking to do today. It is a shared Bill between civic engagement and Sinn Féin and we know we have the support of the Labour Party and a range of Independent Members on the issue. According to their policies, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are in favour of the Bill. Let us not make a show of the Chamber today. Let us do what all of us know is the right thing to do, namely, support the Bill on Committee Stage, move it forward and ensure that the people in the Gallery and tens of thousands of others like them have the right to vote this time next year. It is that simple. Let us do the right thing today.