Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. Amendments Nos. 27 to 29, inclusive, are self-explanatory so I will not go into great detail on them. I will mention two points. On the last occasion we discussed this Bill I spoke about lowering the age to 16 years, and the Minister of State told the House he was supportive. It is about engaging with people. I also pointed out how young people are so actively involved in activism and various campaigns on social issues, environmental issues and so forth. They want to have a voice. As I said on the last occasion, many of them influenced their parents to vote because they had that type of influence. I attributed some of that to the green wave, notwithstanding the Green Party's skills and abilities. It was palpable during the last election the number of young people who were asking their parents to vote for the Green Party. They could articulate it very well. Of course, when one has a green slogan it is self-explanatory and it is a great advantage because people know what green means and stands for. We should not lose the focus on that, and I know the Minister of State believes the new commission will look at it.

People talk about promoting women, people with disabilities, LGBTI people and persons with disadvantage, but they are only some categories. There is no exhaustive list. I want to talk in more general terms about participation of all citizens. I will single out two areas. Ageism is alive and well in our society. I spoke to a former very active member of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO, indeed very well known to many Members of the House, who said to me a few weeks ago, "I have nothing to contribute".I said she was involved in the GAA, principal of a school, a senior union activist in the INTO, involved in parish life and Tidy Towns and that she did not know it but was political already and an activist. She felt there was no place for her in political life. She had more to contribute because she is now retired and has loads of time on her hands. We have to be careful. We do not want to stereotype or streamline a particular group. We want everybody who wishes to participate in the background or at the front in elections. We should be careful not to pigeonhole anybody. Everybody should be encouraged. Some groups need an extra hand and support to get started.

Amendment No. 29 references persons serving custodial sentences. I have sat on a number or prison boards, am familiar with prison reform and acknowledge the work Deputies Carroll MacNeill and Bacik have done in that area. They too are citizens. People have human rights and want to participate. The fact they are serving a custodial sentence does not mean they are not political or that they do not have a contribution to make. They may not be there for very long. It is important we facilitate all groups and I was pleased to see that amendment No. 29 singles out persons serving a custodial sentence. It is not something we hear much about in terms of this legislation. People tend to think when a person is serving a custodial sentence, he or she is at the end of the barrel and a bit of a waster, but these are humans, citizens and people who want to make good. I like the broad thrust of real engagement with the widest group of people. We are a diverse people and nation so let us encourage everyone.

I commend these three excellent amendments and will support them.