Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is an important and detailed motion that sets out the full process. This would allow for this to become possible in the next Seanad.

It is a useful constructive piece of Seanad reform at a time when there has been deep disappointment, not only among the Members of the Seanad reform implementation group, whom the House has heard from. Senators McDowell, Warfield and I, and others, have spoken in the past about a deep frustration at the legislation that passed recently and the huge inadequacy of the Seanad reform offered in respect of just six seats in an extraordinarily narrow way and completely disregarding the excellent work done by so many for Seanad reform over so many years. That was pitched to us last week as a small step forward but actually it is a step backwards because in the previous Oireachtas at least there was a commitment to implementing the many recommendations of the Manning report.

It should be borne in mind, fundamentally, how we vote within the House matters and how people vote for us outside the House matters. A fundamental principle of meaningful Seanad reform is that every person should have a say and have the chance to cast their vote in an election to the second House in the Oireachtas. Almost half of the legislative process takes place in this room with 60 individuals and it is a fundamental principle that every citizen over 18 should be able to cast his or her vote and have a say in what happens inside this Chamber because what happens in this Chamber is extremely important. I am a passionate believer in the work the Seanad does and the importance of what the Seanad brings, in particular, to the legislative process.

The opportunity to meaningfully reform who votes for the Seanad and send a signal back to the public, who sent such a strong signal to the then Government in the referendum when they voted to keep the Seanad and to send a clear signal that they wanted a say in the Seanad, has been missed to give them a vote.

It seems, as a minimum, that we could look to the other parts of Seanad reform. I want to give credit. Certain things have happened. They are there up against the wall. Like Senator McDowell, I am a member of the EU scrutiny committee. It is a positive initiative that the Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, initiated as Cathaoirleach. It was something whereby the Seanad would be adding significant value by bringing invisible parts of the law under public and parliamentary scrutiny. That committee has faced significant obstacles and significant obstructions but, nonetheless, is, and I believe, will be, a fundamental contributor to greater democracy and oversight.I also acknowledge that the cathaoirligh we have had in this term have been very positive in respect of Seanad reform. Part of that positivity has come from the fact that there were competitions. There was significant competition within Fianna Fáil that led to the election of Senator Mark Daly as Cathaoirleach for the first part of this term. There was also a competition that was won by Senator Buttimer. That gave a strength to the role of Cathaoirleach, which meant it was not just a sinecure or honorarium from Government, but a significant role that could lead and represent this House and frame initiatives constructively, such as, for example, Seanad 100.

However, I believe that would be strengthened massively if we had that competition. We have been lucky in having two individuals who put forward meaningful platforms in that election. This is not about Government or not Government, but it would be strengthened if we had a situation where every individual in this House could cast a vote for the person who puts forward a clear vision to drive and spearhead Seanad reform in a meaningful way, who puts forward a clear message of how they will serve all within this House and ensure this House serves the public better. Having independence in who puts themselves forward, so decision making is not done on party political lines, but on the merit of the candidates, gives strength and credibility. It raises the profile of the House. It sent a positive signal to many when they saw the Leas-Cheann Comhairle elected in the Dáil.