Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The European Court of Justice is clear in this regard. The Minister of State acknowledged in the Dáil that what I am proposing is possible. I am asking him to take these steps and support the amendments. He should embrace this opportunity to send a signal of inclusion to many people who face the prospect, under Brexit, of their families becoming divided and the connections between the state in which they were born and the state in which they live becoming fraught and more difficult.

The Minister of State stated that we allow different levels of inclusion at local elections because a resident in any ward or district has skin in the game as regards footpaths, lights, etc. We know that European Union investment funds can be routed towards local infrastructure. Surely people who live here should have a say in those matters. On a more negative level, we know that the EU-Singapore deal, for example, includes certain provisions on procurement that may constrain local authorities. There is a deep connection between the local, national and European in this regard. When we talk about a Europe of cities I would like us to be true to that spirit.

I am asking the Minister of State to reconsider his position and accept this amendment. This does not set the course for the future. It is modest and only relates to those who are already on the electoral register. While a path needs to be charted for the future but, in a later amendment, I propose to give the Minister of State the prerogative of charting that path. I ask him to protect the rights of those on the register. I have spoken about franchise. It is not simply a privilege; it is a service that each citizen pays to each other by voting collectively. It does not do any of us, or the common good, a service to leave a large cohort of the adult population of the State, who have lived here for many decades, without the same voice and vote as others. We want these people to feel a part of the decisions we make together.