Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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At present, state funding of political parties is linked to the achievement of a gender balance in candidate selection for Dáil general elections only, by a provision of the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012. The intention at the time was that these measures would have a knock-on effect by providing an incentive to political parties to expand voluntarily their gender diversity. These funding provisions also had an impact by highlighting the issue of gender disparity in politics and providing a starting point for addressing imbalances.

The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future sets out a broad range of electoral reforms which the Government is committed to delivering during its term of office, including a specific commitment to the establishment of an independent, statutory Electoral Commission. Administrative arrangements for the establishment of the Electoral Commission – entitled An Coimisiún Toghcháin – are currently being put in place by a transition team within my Department. The selection process for An Coimisiún’s membership is underway and the recruitment process for its Chief Executive will commence in the coming weeks. An Coimisiún Toghcháin’s formal establishment is anticipated in the coming months.

An Coimisiún will strengthen our electoral system as a whole and help us to anticipate and respond to the challenges we face in our evolving electoral environment. One of an Coimisiún’s key functions will be a public awareness and education role in respect of electoral events. It is envisaged that an Coimisiún will carry out this function with a particular emphasis on increasing participation in our democratic processes among segments of society which are marginalised or traditionally under-represented in electoral matters.

In addition, an Coimisiún Toghcháin will also have a research and advisory function. In this context, the Programme for Government commits the Electoral Commission, when established, to undertake a number of items of research on electoral matters and an Coimisiún will be well placed, if requested, to undertake a comprehensive review of the Electoral Act 1997 which provides the statutory framework for dealing with political financing and the funding of political parties.

The outcome of the 2019 local elections was in a number of respects positive for the participation of women in local government. There was a modest increase in the percentage of women candidates, as well as an increase in the number of women elected. There were also a number of local authorities which reached or surpassed the 30% threshold of women elected members.

However, I also recognise that a great deal of work remains to be done to address the under representation of women in local government and this is a policy priority of mine and my Department, which has undertaken a range of initiatives aimed at improving gender balance on councils, in addition to making the role of the councillor more flexible and sustainable for all.

These initiatives include a funding scheme to incentivise political parties to increase the number of women candidates running in the 2024 local elections. My Department also funds partner organisations such as Women for Election, Longford Women’s Link and The National Women’s Council of Ireland to provide excellent capacity building and training services, benefitting all women interested in entering local government, with or without political party affiliation. In addition, my Department continues to support local authorities in their efforts to encourage the participation of women and wider diversity in local government structures.

My Department is also prioritising making the role of councillor itself more sustainable by improving the terms and conditions of the role and reducing obstacles to the participation of women, like introducing maternity leave and supports.