Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)

Thar cheann Shinn Féin, tá fáilte roimh an Taoiseach chuig an Seanad. As the Taoiseach is aware and as he referred to, the Seanad has a reputation for being an open-minded Chamber where ideas are canvassed on all manner of topics. Some of these would struggle to get onto the floor of the Dáil and most are generally debated here in a much more congenial manner than they might there. In recent years, the Seanad has supported motions on a number of issues and one of those concerned extending the vote in presidential elections to our citizens voting in the North and abroad. We are a week and a day out from a presidential election and many of our citizens do not have the option of voting in it. We know this proposal has been supported in the Assembly in the North and in the Dáil on numerous occasions. There was a convention on this issue in 2013, legislation was introduced in the Dáil in 2014 and there was an options paper in 2017. It was my belief that legislation was produced and it was almost on the brink of being the subject of a referendum, but then it did not happen. Promises were made but not kept.

We are radically out of step globally on this issue because 153 other nations allow their citizens to vote in elections while living abroad. British citizens, for example, can vote in parliamentary elections even though they are not living in Britain at the time. I feel that Irish people, if they are not living in the Twenty-six Counties, feel like second-class citizens. This is the case whether they are living abroad or in the North. They do not have a say and feel that somehow their citizenship is not worth the same as the citizens actually living here in the State. Is this something that could be addressed without delay to ensure it will not be the case in seven years’ time when the next presidential election happens? I know some people are calling for a reform of the method of selecting a presidential candidate, so maybe the two issues could be looked at and addressed and changes made to the Constitution in this regard.

The Seanad also supported the occupied territories Bill currently making its way through the Oireachtas. The current Government draft, however, is a heavily amended version of the Bill first introduced here by Senator Frances Black some seven years ago. The original Bill proposed a much broader prohibition. It sought to criminalise the provision of goods and services and the extraction of natural resources from the occupied territories generally. I feel the legislation needs to go forward in its original strengthened form. While there is a peace in Palestine, it is a fragile peace. I do hope it endures. We must remember, however, that there has been discrimination and illegal settlements in both the West Bank and Gaza for many decades. There need to be repercussions for Israel for this. This situation needs to be addressed, prevented from going forward and the existing settlements reduced.

A few years ago, the Cathaoirleach of Seanad, Senator Mark Daly, held a series of public meetings in the House on the constitutional future of this country. It was an excellent initiative by the Seanad. It had cross-party support and support from Independent Seanadóirí. I think the Seanad led the way. This leadership was followed by the Good Friday Agreement committee, which last year produced two highly significant reports on the constitutional future. One dealt with finance and economics and the other was on the role of women in the constitutional debate. I was a member of that committee in the last term and I was part of the discussions on those reports. In my view, the report on finance and economics is a blueprint on how we move from where we are now to a new united Ireland. This report had the support of all the parties and Independents on the committee. It recommended to the Government that it take the lead in planning for a new Ireland. It also stated that there are no insurmountable economic or financial barriers to reunification. It recommended that the first steps would be to publish a Green Paper on setting out a vision for a united Ireland, to set up an Oireachtas committee dedicated to the preparation for a united Ireland, and to carry out extensive and thoughtful public engagement North and South.

The report put great emphasis on dialogue, and the Good Friday Agreement committee in preparing the report listened carefully to people from all backgrounds, particularly those from a unionist and Protestant background who came to the committee and made presentations. This report was presented to the Government but it has yet to respond. I mention and commend the work of the shared island unit, which was established by the Taoiseach. Everybody in the Seanad respects its work. It is now time, however, for the unit to widen its horizons. I encourage the Taoiseach to study the report of the Good Friday Agreement committee and to consider the implementation of its recommendations.