Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I will speak specifically to this section. I refer to the case of the National College of Ireland, NCI, which Senator Clonan and I raised on Second Stage. This also applies to a number of other private colleges that are offering level 8 programmes. The challenge with this legislation is that as a result of its enactment, only the graduates of those institutions that are designated by the HEA will have a vote. That is certainly very welcome. The issue we raised was specifically with regard to the NCI but also applies to other institutions. The problem is that the HEA has not yet developed a process by which NCI and others can be designated. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, which is similar in many ways to the NCI as a not-for-profit, is a designated institution under this Bill. Its graduates will be able to have a vote as a result of this legislation but graduates of NCI, in very similar circumstances, will not. The problem under the HEA Act is that the HEA does not yet have a process of designation for the NCI. We have been raising this regularly with the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, but it has not moved. There is a need within this legislation - the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, was certainly constructive in his comments on this matter during the Second Stage debate - to look at level 8 graduates from other institutions. We spoke about it more broadly, including, potentially, graduates from the North but I acknowledge that would be more difficult.

I am somewhat concerned that things like this get ruled out because of the idea that they are a potential charge on the Exchequer. I get that Standing Orders have to be applied but when we talk about extending the franchise, I wonder if somebody is counting the number of stamps or the cost of printing a few ballot papers. I totally understand the need for this when we are talking about looking to change tax and budgetary policy. With all due respect, I do not think somebody in the Department of housing, which is rightly investing billions in housing and in other areas, is saying that extending the Seanad electoral franchise to a number of individuals will be regarded as a cost on the Exchequer. If anything, widening the franchise is something that is worthy.

I hope that in his response, the Minister will address constructively, as he did when he raised this with us before, how those other institutions and their graduates may end up getting a vote, particularly in light of the similarities between the RCSI and the NCI and given that under the HEA Act a process of designation has not been developed. I get that this will not be in place for the next Seanad elections but I would certainly like the franchise to be sufficiently expanded in time for the Seanad elections that will take place in 2029 or 2030, which is probably what we are looking at here, to include graduates of those institutions. If a proper designation process is not put in place, however, we do not see a path to that happening.