Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues for tendering this Bill for consideration by the House. I have a problem with it and I am opposed to the principle of it. Under our Constitution, the greatest honour any of us has is that of being a citizen. There are no grades of citizenship and there is no need for an honours system among citizens. My view is a simple one. Those people in our society who are honoured are recognised by a variety of institutions. Mention was made by Catherine Corless. She has an honorary doctorate from UCD and a major award from the Irish Red Cross. Likewise, the late Vicky Phelan, received a number of honours from academic institutions. People are honoured by being included in institutions such as the body for artists and by the Royal Irish Academy. I notice that the Bar of Ireland honoured Catherine Corless.

However, the real question is whether the State should be involved in honouring a shortlist of 12 people every year, which is composed by a committee, as envisaged by Fergal Quinn's legislation and that now tendered by Senator Keogan. I look at the people who are supposed to be on the committee, among whom are the secretary to the President and, I think, the chancellor of NUI, who is referred to as the "President of the National University of Ireland", and the head of IBEC. The committee does not include the head of any trade union or a number of other institutions. It includes the Irish Countrywomen's Association. Senator Keogan's version of the Bill has added two local authority members to this body. In essence, what the Bill proposes is that the members of the public should be able to write in nominations on a form to be provided with information, all of which should then be considered by this committee. The Bill proposes the committee should then decide on a list of 12 people, of whom not more than four can be non-Irish citizens and send that list to the Government. The Government has to take the whole list, lock, stock and barrel, and accept or reject it.

I know there is no constitutional issue in the President conferring an award, providing it is done on the advice of the Government, because the Constitution insists that should be done, but the real issue is that if there is somebody in the list of 12 that the Government thinks is inappropriate, for whatever reason, the Government is forced into the position of saying "No" to all 12. That is not an acceptable situation for any Government to be in, that either it takes or rejects the whole dozen and there is nothing else it can do about it. The power of the President under the Bill, which is both in Fergal Quinn's version and Senator Keogan's Bills, is to nominate two members, which the President has appointed to the Council of State, to serve on this committee. Even in that choice, the Constitution requires that the Government must advise the President as to which two members the President nominates. That is what the Constitution says. The President, exercising any power other than specified powers in the Constitution, must solely act on the advice of the Government.

The real question is that we have survived 100 years without this system. If we have a system of this kind, the result will be controversy about people who were proposed for it and not short-listed, or the Government deciding it is unhappy with the whole list, because of one person's name was on the list, not considering it appropriate to honour the whole list and not being able to take the person's name off. We will also have controversies with regard to people whom The Ditchfinds out something about afterwards and then we are told they were unworthy to receive it in the first place or, alternatively, we will have situations where people say and do things after their appointment which brings them into controversy. Will we do what the British have to do, that is, strip people of their knighthoods, orders of the British Empire and the like?

We are better off without this. There is no person in this House of whom I was fonder than Feargal Quinn. He invited me to stand in his place in 2016, when he realised his health was not up to another term. He signed my nomination on a hospital bed. I know that Feargal Quinn is somebody who I admire, but the principle of this Bill is to create "an honours system". Ireland does not need such a system. I do not think Ireland needs it. We get on perfectly well with our multiplicity of freedoms of cities, honorary doctorates, awards and all the rest of it. We do not need to involve the political system, which will necessarily be involved if the Government is given a choice, in creating a two-tier citizenship. I am against this Bill and I will vote against it.