Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Since becoming a Senator in 2016, I have learned a lot, seen a lot and thoroughly enjoyed my work in the House. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. Seanad Éireann has been the subject of no fewer than 14 separate reports on proposed reforms. It is widely accepted that the Upper House can and should play an effective role in Irish politics. Irish people voted in 2013 to retain the Seanad and its function of providing checks and balances in our political system. However, no changes have yet been implemented.

The report from the implementation group on the 2015 Manning document offers a clear path forward to achieving a reformed and effective Seanad. It reflects much of what is contained in Fianna Fáil's constructive Bill on Seanad reform, which put forward a series of measures that could be implemented immediately by the Government. The key word here is "implement". Given the clear appetite for change and our understanding of the need for such change, let us proceed with it. We should give all citizens a vote and broaden representation for specific minority groups. We listened to what the wonderful people who took to the streets had to say. They are asking for listening ears and active hands. Let us give sports committees, school organisations and minority campaigners a shot at representing those who would vote for them to do so.

My party was the only one to oppose the proposed abolition of the Seanad in the 2013 referendum. Since then we have used our three Seanad nominations to facilitate independent voices in the Upper House. The people of Ireland crave a change in how we do our business in the Oireachtas, but we cannot offer that change without a complete overhaul of the political system. This is not a party political issue but, rather, a national issue. It is time for us to insist on Seanad reform and to work together to achieve it. We, in Fianna Fáil, will work with the implementation group to build a consensus. We want the Seanad to function as a check on Government power. It should have a meaningful role in scrutinising national and EU legislation. We want to see the doors of the House opened to a broader representation of people and groups throughout Ireland who would not be heard in Dáil Éireann.

Our reform Bill offers an immediate legislative route to achieving those goals and could be implemented in a matter of weeks. We must not allow the Government to ignore the need for real political reform and let it slip off the agenda. Our Bill would offer a voice in this House to young Irish people throughout the world. As citizens of this country, they deserve such a voice no matter where they live. We propose to introduce votes for eligible Northern Irish citizens, reserve seats for minority groups, achieve greater gender and identity equality, and curb spending on campaigns. My party is committed to working with the committee to advance the Manning report and our own proposals for reform. We want to implement the real and tangible change voters throughout the country are seeking.

There was much talk about a democratic revolution from members of a previous Fine Gael-led Government, but silencing the voices in the Upper House was not the way to achieve it. Every Member of this Seanad has used the power of this House to debate questions, raise issues, instruct and inform. In effect, we have tried in recent years to revive the powerful Upper House that existed under the 1922 Free State Constitution. In 1937, following its brief abolition, a new and reformed Seanad was established under the new Constitution, comprising five panels, namely, agriculture, labour, industry and commerce, national language and culture, and public administration, to reflect the spectrum of Irish life. The remaining seats were appointed by the Government and via university representation. The American author, John Jay Chapman, said, "The world of politics is always 20 years behind the world of thoughts." Irish life has changed since the restoration of a much weakened Seanad in 1937. If we are to have a meaningful representation of modern Irish life, we must reflect that change by giving representation to the Irish abroad, those in Northern Ireland who are eligible to vote and other voices in our society.

Fianna Fáil has pushed forward Dáil reform as the basis for real change in the way we do politics, and we will work with the implementation group to do the same in the Seanad. We are committed to finding common ground in developing a consensual approach to reforming the Upper House. The Government should use our proposals and the recommendations of the implementation group as the starting point for genuine reform, not the severely restricted proposals it originally brought forward for broadening university graduate voting rights. We will also look to meaningful reform of the Dáil and expansion of local government in order to effect change in politics to reflect the real Ireland. All Senators are very passionate about this issue. It is an honour for us to be making changes to people's lives. Legislation is of great importance. The Seanad needs to be reformed and the sooner, the better. We should work together to make that change for the good of the people. Ireland is changing and we need to change too. It is a new Ireland. We face many bigger issues such as climate change that seem to affect us all. If we work together, we can make a change for the betterment of the people we represent.