Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to speak to amendment No. 13. It should be pointed out that the greatest inequity in the entire electoral system for the Seanad relates to the six seats voted for by university graduates. We are ready to go with that. It has to be pointed out that this is an insult to anyone who is not a graduate. People who are fortunate enough to get to third level and obtain a qualification are no more entitled or qualified to vote than people who, unfortunately, had to drop out at primary level, maybe halfway through secondary level or otherwise. As long as that stands, the whole composition of the Seanad is questionable. We already have provided that the electoral college for the university six can, without further ado, be increased to include graduates of all third level institutions, which would be some small step towards equity. If it is possible, either in the context of this Bill or in later legislation, I ask the Government to arrange that the next Seanad election be fought with a much wider franchise as far as the six university seats are concerned.

To me, it is the rotten borough of the Seanad. It is sticking out. To get elected to a county council, an individual, depending on his constituency, has to get anything from 1,000 No. 1 votes to 2,500. Each county councillor has a mandate from a large number of people and, in effect, indirectly, they represent the entire country. We cannot say that for the university seats. In speaking to the amendment and notwithstanding anything that has been said already, I would encourage the Minister of State to try to fix the rotten borough of the university six prior to the next Seanad election.