Vol. 369 No. 1
I move:
That the Ceann Comhairle direct the Clerk of the Dáil to issue his Writ for the election of a Member to fill the vacancy which has occurred in the membership of the present Dáil consequent on the death of Deputy Cathal Seán Coughlan, a Member for the Constituency of Donegal South-West.
is this agreed?
I oppose this motion, but before opposing it I agree with the Opposition Whip that we said that we would put a time on this debate, that it should conclude not later than 5 p.m.
It is agreed that the debate on Item 26 will conclude not later than 5 p.m.
The Government are surely not opposing it? Good heavens.
I am calling on the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Brien.
We do not take the decision lightly, a Cheann Comhairle, but given the legislative programme before us, we believe that having a by-election at this time would obstruct the very important business of this House, which has to be taken on. I note a question today about particular legislation. There is a large number of Bills — the streets Bill, building societies Bill, local government re-organisation Bills, air pollution Bill, homeless persons Bill, the Bill dealing with the national board of curriculum assessment, interception of postal packets Bill, family homes Bill, extradition Bill, protection of barring orders Bill——
Skelly's Bill.
All these are very important.
The very important Liam Skelly Bill.
Order, order.
In the constituency about which we are talking, Donegal South West, there are two very able Deputies——
Hear, hear.
——who are looking after the interests of their constituents, in addition to Deputy Patrick Gallagher. It is not a question of any party being deprived of representation, or of the people of the area being so deprived. That is a reason.
I see an obvious reason.
There is a precedent. As Deputy Haughey is well aware, in a debate on 11 February 1981 when a writ was moved to fill a vacancy in Tipperary he gave the very same reason.
The Minister is not comparing like with like.
It was a very good reason. He posed the question: "Is there any real need to interrupt our parliamentary programme for the holding of a by-election to elect a Deputy who will sit in this House for just a year?" The answer to that is, of course, that I wholeheartedly concur with Deputy Haughey's view on this. There is no need.
The Deputy should withdraw the motion.
The Dáil vacancy which is the subject of this writ has been caused by the untimely death of my colleague, Cathal Coughlan, a man who, in the period in which he served in this House, created a deep impression on Members of all sides both with his courtesy and lack of party political bitterness. He was highly respected and it would not be going too far to say that genuinely he was one of nature's gentlemen. Cathal himself had been elected in a by-election in 1983 following upon the tragic death of his brother Clement. In their period representing the people of Donegal South West, Cathal and Clement were an example to all in this House by their deep commitment to the well-being of their constituents.
Hear, hear.
This commitment was reflected in their work rate, in Dáil speeches and questions and their contributions to our own party debates. I deeply regret the decision of the Taoiseach and the Government to deny the people of Donegal their constitutional right to full parliamentary representation and to elect a worthy successor to Cathal Coughlan. By this decision, they are also flouting the rights of Dáil Éireann to full representation. The wishes of the people of Donegal South-West were shown in the general election of 1982 and in the by-election of 1983. Their wish is that their representation in this House would consist of two Opposition Deputies and one Government Deputy. This is particularly important at a time when the Government are in such a tight voting situation in this House.
Donegal south-west is a far flung constituency with a population of approximately 65,000. It is at present represented by only two Members, including Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher, and despite their best efforts they cannot possibly be expected to carry out the duties of a full complement of Deputies. Minister of State O'Brien, in denying the people of Donegal their rights, said that the two Deputies are looking after the constituency very well and that is enough. The Constitution says that they are entitled to full representation. Full representation means three Members.
The same applied to Tipperary.
The Minister of State spoke about the precedent in Tipperary. I remind him that not only was there a contribution by the Taoiseach at the time but also by the present Taoiseach, Dr. FitzGerald. The writ was moved by Deputy Noel Browne. The Taoiseach, Dr. FitzGerald, stated in the Official Report in volume 326, columns 1465-1466 stated:
Nevertheless, when Deputy Browne moved the writ we determined to support it and the grounds he gave for moving it were certainly cogent. Everything other than the question of practice and procedure were in favour of the action he took. In the face of the compelling case he made——
The compelling case was mainly with regard to the lack of numbers in regard to members.
——it seems right to us to support it in the hope that we might influence the Taoiseach towards the broader decision in relation to a general election.
If that was true in February 1981, how much truer is it today? The Taoiseach said again and again that he intends to run his full term in this House. He and his Fine Gael Ministers went to great length at their Ard Fheis at the weekend to emphasise that they intend to continue in office until November 1987. By opposing this writ the Taoiseach is condemning the people of Donegal south-west to an inadequate Dáil representation for up to a period of 18 months.
The Taoiseach talks a lot about the need for Dáil reform and preaches the supremacy of the ballot box. In opposing this by-election writ, it is just one more example where he will be judged by his actions rather than his words. It is not the only occasion he has ducked an election. He postponed the local elections of 1984 under the guise of introducing local government reform.
Hear, hear.
We never saw that local government reform. He had to hold the election in 1985 and of course, the Government were thrashed nationally. I suggest to the Taoiseach that we still have not got the local government reform that was promised as the reason for the postponement of the 1984 local elections. The Taoiseach will be thrashed nationally when the opportunity arises. The people are crying out for a general election. This was clearly shown by the IMS Sunday Independent poll at the weekend. It showed that satisfaction with this Taoiseach and this Government is in the region of 20 per cent in October 1986. The rate of dissatisfaction with this Government and this Taoiseach is 73 per cent. They want a change of Government. Apparently this Government will try to hold on but the people want them out. Disregarding the opinion polls, does any Member of this House ever remember the number of protest groups to the same extent as we have outside the gates of Leinster House today? I am here in this House since 1973 and never in my time did I see such a varied group protesting against this Government. Disregarding that element, the overwhelming wish of the people of this country is for a general election, whether it is the bankers who refuse to loan money to the Government, and who can blame them with a current budget deficit of £1,500 million, the highest in the history of this country, whether it is the unemployed who number 250,000, the hundred thousand who have emigrated since this Government came into power, the housewives who are facing another mortgage increase of 2 per cent or more who see their sons and daughters emigrate ——
—— whether it is the old, the sick or the farmers whose plight is sneered at by the Minister for Agriculture. Who will ever forget his interview in Clifden when he sneered at the GAA, the Church and the farmers? This country needs a general election to give the people some confidence for the future. If they are to be denied a general election, as the Government apparently intend to do, why deny the people of Donegal south-west their opportunity and their right to express themselves in a by-election? This vote is not a matter of confidence which would defeat the Government. That motion will be debated later this afternoon. Consequently, I make a special and sincere plea to Deputies on the other side of the House, both Fine Gael and Labour, who oppose this Taoiseach and his Government as we have seen in their statements throughout the summer, and who are being used on this occasion by the Taoiseach and his Ministers to deny the people of Donegal south-west their democratic rights. I say to them: join us on this vote on this motion. I have a reason for making that plea.
In the debate of 11 February 1981 Deputy Oliver J. Flanagan who I am glad is present today, a man who has long had respect for the institution of the Dáil and for everything the Dáil stands for, made an eloquent plea about the problems of the people of Tipperary north. He said that the constituency was represented by only two Members as is the case in Donegal south-west at the moment and it seems will be the case for the next 18 months. At the time Deputy Flanagan made the case very strongly that constituents in Tipperary north were coming to his constituency and asking him to make representations on their behalf. He recognised it was impossible for two Members to represent a constituency which should have three Members. The people deserved better. Other long-serving Members who have respect for the traditions of this House would not wish to deny the people of Donegal south-west the opportunity and the right to full constitutional parliamentary representation. I say to those Deputies, why should you allow yourselves to be used by this Taoiseach and his Ministers when their only interest is to retain power for power's sake and why should you be party to such disreputable tactics?
The people of Donegal South-West are being treated in cavalier fashion by this Government, something which I have no doubt will not be forgotten by them when the inevitable general election comes. As the President of the United States recently stated on another matter — it is equally appropriate to the Taoiseach and the Government — you can run but you cannot hide. On this occasion the Taoiseach might win this vote but he will eventually have to face the wrath of the Irish people in Donegal South-West and nationally.
I would have been more impressed had I come into this House on a first occasion and been in the public gallery on hearing Deputy Burke making his plea because it was a consistent plea from someone who was sincere about getting the vacancy in South-West Donegal filled, but I have heard that type of speech from the Opposition benches, including my party. Deputy Burke is fooling nobody. When his party were in Government no party played the political game better than they did. They taught us how to play the game, and it is no credit to any of us in private life that we should not be able to fill a vacancy in a by-election without the political manoeuvring that goes on between political parties, and we are all guilty of it. However, Deputy Burke let the cat out of the bag. He is no more interested in the by-election in Donegal than the Shah of Iran-Persia.
The Deputy is out of date.
We know what happened to him.
The same as is going to happen to the Deputy.
Whistling past the graveyard to come back with remarks like that is not fooling me because I am going to tell Deputy Burke that he is not interested in the by-election in Donegal. The sincerity of the words in his opening remarks fools nobody. It may fool those people in the public gallery who have come in for the first time to listen to what goes on here but it does not fool anyone who has served time here and watched the political manoeuvring that goes on. Deputy Burke was really saying, "Let us have a by-election in Donegal but let us get into a general election position." He will get a general election whenever it comes and as his leader says, the opinion polls do not always reflect the views of the ballot box.
We are not talking about a general election here today. We are talking about a by-election, and I have a point of view. Deputy Burke said that Clement Coughlan and Cathal Coughlan were his colleagues, but they were colleagues of mine also and probably I thought a great more of them than Deputy Burke did.
On a point of order, I am asking the Member to withdraw that. That is a shameful comment. It is inexcusable.
I apologise to Deputy Burke if he picked up the words I am using to express my thoughts——
Do not use that——
I am saying that I thought highly of those two young boys and Deputy Burke thought no more highly of them than I did. I got to know them very well as colleagues in this House, as colleagues on Donegal County Council, and I shared the grief of everyone in this House when both lost their lives in tragic circumstances.
Let us look at the record of two brothers. They were both elected to the 24th Dáil. Neither of them completed the term. Is it a credit to any Member of this House, whether in Opposition or in Government, that we should stop the cooption of a member of that family to complete the term of office? If I believed that I should support that, then I would do so, but I am not prepared to step out of line to accommodate the Fianna Fáil Party to play the political game. I know the Coughlan family probably better than many other people in this House and I would like to be able to say to the present Government, "Let us by agreement, constitution or convention, stop this political manoeuvring that goes on at by-election times." Clement Coughlan was elected in a by-election in 1980 over the entire county with a massive vote. In the general election six months later he topped the poll. Within six months he fought another general election. The by-election was fought six months later and his brother was elected. Two brothers inside 18 months fought four major elections, and we mature Members of Parliament argue about how we should co-opt or fill the vacancy. Maybe the tragedy of these two young men should force a Government in office and the leaders of the Opposition parties to work out some convention whereby vacancies can be filled without by-elections being fought.
Let us look around. For example, in the US Senate and US Congress when someone dies the governor of the state nominates someone to complete the term. In the US, one of the biggest nations in the world, they agree on that, but we cannot. Usually the governor looks at the family of the deceased member. He is not obliged to select someone from that family but generally he does. He is obliged to look at the political party, of the deceased member and he is expected to pick someone from that party. He does not have to do so but generally he does. Surely that is an example of maturity. Stop the quibbling and the political manoeuvring and playacting which Deputy Burke is guilty of and let us for once be sensible and mature in our approach to these things.
I know that this Government cannot acknowledge what I am saying at the moment, nor would I expect them to do so, but I want to put on record the feelings of the Fine Gael Party in County Donegal. The feeling of the Fine Gael Party in County Donegal in view of the tragedy of the two Coughlan brothers is that if it is at all possible to accommodate the young girl who is going to be the candidate in the next general election let her be co-opted. That would be the sincere wish of every member of the Fine Gael Party. However, when you talk it out then you realise that that would not fit in with the political game, it would not be in accordance with the practice of the political game that operates at the moment. When the chips are down we all belong to a political party and we toe the political line.
I will be supporting the Government on this issue but in supporting them I hope the Taoiseach will take note of the fact that this type of situation which arises from time to time is of no credit to any of us. I hope that the Leader of the Opposition will acknowledge the same. It is not beyond the bounds of reason that both of them could agree that in future when a Member dies the political party who elected that person to this House will have the option of filling the vacancy.
Before this debate I felt that I could be quiet and just vote with the Government and not let my views be known, but I talked to a few people in the county and they felt that I should express the views which I have just put before the House. They are the views of Fine Gael people in County Donegal who have sympathy for the Coughlan family in their tragedy. It is without precedent in this Parliament that two brothers should be elected to the one Dáil and neither of them be allowed to complete the full term. The tragedy of that spells out to all of us that we cannot continue to ignore the filling of vacancies in this House. If any family have won the right to nominate someone to complete a term of office surely that family have done it. There is no good in the Fianna Fáil Party shedding crocodile tears and saying that the facts are here, acknowledge them and follow the lead that Deputy Burke has just set and vote for them on this occasion. When Fianna Fáil were in power they were no credit to themselves or to this House in the way they manipulated the situation. They have been guilty of wrecking the Month's Mind and paying disrespect to the deceased Deputy, and of having a general election sooner than it should have been held because they wanted to take advantage of the political ploy. They have also been guilty of postponing a general election when it should have been held. We have played the same game. It is the politics that we operate. We are all guilty in this and it is no credit to us. After the next general election or maybe before it is held surely there should be a convention between Opposition and Government so that we will have a way of filling that vacancy which will be a credit to this Parliament, rather than the political manoeuvring and haggling that occurs when a Member dies.
Ceapaim go bhfuil dualgas morálta agus bunreachtúil ar an Taoiseach agus ar an Rialtas agus ar na baill go léir ar an taobh eile den Teach cuidiú leis an moladh seo inniu agus ligean don bhfo-thoghchán i nDún na nGall Thiar-Theas dul ar aghaidh.
Níl aon aistritheoirí i láthair.
Tá a fhios go rímhaith an toradh a bheas ann san Dáil-cheantar agus go bhfuil siad ag rith roimh na daoine. Tá a fhios acu go mbuafar orthu. Tá neamart á dhéanamh ar mhuintir mó Dháilcheantair agus muintir an iarthair go léir le ceithre bliana ón am a chuaigh an Rialtas seo i gcomhacht. Tá a fhios acu nach bhfaighidh siad suas le 27 faoin gcéad de na vótaí san bhfothogchán seo.
I, together with every other Member of this House, deeply regret the circumstances which have brought about the moving of this writ today. The Government should not take away the democratic and moral right of the people of my constituency to have this vacancy filled. The late Deputy Cathal Coughlan and also the late Deputy Clem Coughlan, both elected to the 24th Dáil, were I suppose the hardest working Members ever elected to this House. It is wrong to suggest that both myself and my constituency colleague, Deputy McGinley, could give the people of that constituency the service to which they are accustomed. We have tried to do our utmost in the interim period. But the people of my constituency have been affected adversely as a result of having no third Deputy there. The best efforts of Deputy McGinley and I are just not sufficient.
On the surface it would appear that the by-election would affect south-west Donegal only. But it has much greater implications for the country as a whole. I am surprised at Deputy Harte referring to political games. The fact is that if this by-election is held the Government will find themselves in a minority. That is the only reason the Government are opposing this. The people of my constituency will reflect the views of the rest of the country and prove the opinion polls wrong, prove that there will be 60 per cent in favour of Fianna Fáil and not 53 per cent. That is the only reason they are opposing this writ here today, and it is morally and democratically wrong that they should do so. They are doing this for their own selfish political purposes at the expense of my constituents. The reasons put forward by the Government Chief Whip are not the real reasons. The real reason is that the Government know that their performance of the past four years will be put to the test. When we got an opportunity back in 1983 when this Government were only a short time in Government, the people of Donegal south-west were wise at that early stage and gave a negative result to this Government. And they would do it again this time in a very emphatic fashion.
It comes as no surprise to me that the Government are abdicating their responsibility in the matter of affording the people of my constituency an opportunity to fill that vacancy. They know only too well that the wise electorate of Donegal South-West will, in no uncertain terms, tell the Government that they are living on borrowed time. The voters of that constituency will give the Government their answer. I hope that before the end of this debate good sense will prevail and the Government might not oppose this, or indeed some wise Deputies might vote against it or at least abstain.
During the past four years the Government have ignored my constituency. The dole queues have steadily increased in those years leaving us with 12,500 people unemployed. Thousands of young people are emigrating. We have tremendous tourist attractions. Yet there is no assistance from the Government to help to develop them. There are excellent opportunities for forestry, yet there is no investment in that sector. In fact we paid off all the temporary employees in that county last week though there is sufficient work for them. Indeed the social welfare benefits which will be paid to them will be almost equal to the wages they were in receipt of.
Our county is largely dependent on fishing but in the past four years we have had progressively reduced quotas.
Border roads are being closed without any serious objection to the British Government by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and these roads are used continuously by people trafficking between Donegal and parts of Northern Ireland.
We are receiving absolutely no money from the special fund for Border counties. Every other county along the Border will receive some aid from that fund but we are being fobbed off with the excuse that we have the benefit of natural gas. What good is natural gas to a county like Donegal which cannot use it? Possibly it can be used in Ballyshannon and Letterkenny, but not in the rural parts. We want our share of that special cross-Border money that is not available to us at the moment.
We have the Gaeltacht areas which are being starved of investment by Údarás na Gaeltachta because the Government and Roinn na Gaeltachta are not prepared to make this money available. There are 800 jobs which could be made available to the people of my constituency in the morning for £1.5 million, but the Government are not prepared to do that.
There was a new regulation last week in relation to new house grants. I forecast that that will result in adding to the list of those waiting for council houses in rural areas and reduce drastically the number of people able to buy their own houses.
We have the islands and they will also give their decision if we have a by-election. They have been completely neglected, particularly Aran Mór and Tory Island.
In the summer I welcomed the sum of £374,000 for filling up potholes in the roads in Donegal. But when this money came there were other conditions attached which meant it could not be used for the purpose for which we thought it was intended. There are now signs up in various parts of the country on national primary routes stating that the projects in question have been funded from the Regional Fund. I saw one notice recently on county roads to the effect that the potholes have been funded by the Coalition Government. It is only in the past four years that the roads in the county have deteriorated to such and extent.
A by-election in Donegal South-West would give Fianna Fáil a most resounding victory and the Government would face devastating defeat. We will signal in a very clear and unambiguous fashion that we reject out of hand the policies of this extremely inept Coalition Government and that we do not favour their continuation in office. Our result would reflect the views of the entire country.
The Government side referred to precedents. I would like to refer to three precedents, all in south-west Donegal. In 1970, after the death of the late Deputy P. O'Donnell in October, a by-election took place in December of that year. In 1980 after the death during the summer recess, of the Ceann Comhairle at that time, Deputy Joe Brennan, a by-election took place in early December of that year. After the tragic death of the late Deputy Clement Coughlan in February 1983, a by-election took place in May of that year. Is that not sufficient precedent?
The opposition to the moving of this writ is purely on the grounds of political expediency. It must be clearly interpreted as a grave insult to the people we represent in Donegal. Quite apart from the Government's apparent fears of going north to my constituency, they must accept that this huge rural constituency has been deprived of a public representative since June of last year. If we are to accept what the Taoiseach says, that there will be no general election until the second half of next year, then that constituency will not have proper representation for a full 12-months period. This is something that cannot be accepted in a constituency of 60,000 people stretching from Bundoran in the far south to Creeslough in the north, from the islands of Aranmore and Tory to Drumking, Convoy and Castlefinn on the east.
The Deputy will be overworked.
I do not think the constituency would accept Deputy Sheehan if they got him for nothing.
Two TDs cannot adequately serve this constituency, particularly bearing in mind that it was a constituency used to the Coughlan-type service since 1980, and even before then when the late Deputy Clement Coughlan was a councillor. Therefore, the people of my constituency are the real losers today.
I regret that a legitimate move — whether or not Deputy Harte thinks so — taken here today by our party has been opposed for selfish political reasons. However, we can take some comfort in the knowledge that our Constitution provides for an election every five years. I sincerely believe that if it did not so provide this Government would endeavour to hold on for the next five centuries.
The day of reckoning must come. It has only been postponed. The Government should face the electorate now either by way of a by-election or a general election. We are paying a high price in my constituency. The Government's poor performance will be tested by way of either election in south-west Donegal.
I strongly support the moving of the writ. Even at this late stage I plead with the parties involved. Indeed, I issue an invitation to my constituency colleague, Deputy McGinley, if not to vote against the Government at least to abstain, not to ensure by way of such a by-election, an alleviation of the amount of work both he and I have to undertake but rather to ensure that the people of Donegal are given the service to which they have been accustomed. I say to the Government to take courage in their hands, to accept the verdict of south west Donegal and to interpret that as a national indicator, putting the county and country before their selfish political reasons.
Might I make an appeal to all sides of the House to cut the prattle and get on with the vote. Since the day the late Deputy Cathal Coughlan departed this life anybody with a thinking political brain knew that in the political circumstances of today there was not a chance that a by-election would be held. There will be a vote tomorrow on that issue. We have heard a Government Front Bench speaker make a case against the moving of the writ. We have heard a Fianna Fáil Front Bench speaker make a case for the moving of the writ. We have had the Fine Gael point of view put forward by a Donegal Deputy and the Fianna Fáil point of view, all on the ground. I will be voting for the motion that the by-election be held but I am quite sure that it will not be carried, that it never was intended to be and, if anything were about to happen it would be a general election that would be held in its place. That is the reality. We can talk until the cows come home but that remains the reality.
I say to Deputies P. Gallagher and McGinley — indeed I even ask Deputy Harte to throw in his lot with this — that I give a service in that part of the country as well despite the fact that I am not representing it here. If they are really badly stuck in that constituency I suggest that those Deputies send their constituents over my way and I will look after them——
We are getting them all from the Deputy.
Over the years more and more of my constituency is being taken over. The Deputies will soon have more of it than I have.
Is Deputy Blaney saying that he does not have enough work to do in Northeast Donegal?
I am saying I am getting plenty of work in both areas and have been over the years. Probably that is why I am here as long as I am, despite the best efforts of people on both sides of the House. Let us get on with the business of the House, stop cod acting, because the reality of the situation is whether we vote for or against. I shall vote for the motion but I do not expect it will be carried.
I agree with the decision of the Government not to hold the by-election in Donegal. I had to come into the House when I heard the Front Bench spokesman for Fianna Fáil, Deputy R. Burke, call for a by-election. The Deputy must have more shrubs to give away when he calls for a by-election now. It should be remembered in the last by-election in Dublin west when the Leader of the Fianna Fáil Party, having taken a member of the Fine Gael Party, danced in a Brussels hotel and was all over former Deputy Eileen Lemass but then deserted her at the count when the figures were going against her. I should like to ask the Leader of the Opposition when will he build the airport in Letterkenny he promised at the last by-election there. Deputy P. Gallagher spoke about potholes in Donegal, saying there was a signpost up to the effect that those potholes were sponsored by the Coalition Government. I remember former Deputy Dr. O'Donoghue whom Fianna Fáil disowned — they did not even bother expelling him from the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party when he voted against their leader — say in 1978 that there would be no unemployment, that if it meant digging holes in the roads Fianna Fáil would dig them. Soon afterwards the Fianna Fáil Government were thrown out of office because, when the potholes appeared in the roads they had not the money to fill them. It is my belief that there will be a general election held within a year. If one looks clearly at the figures it would appear that Fianna Fáil are not that sure of winning it. I was in this House in 1978 when Fianna Fáil won the election, when they presented their manifesto proposing no car tax, no rates, putting 25,000 people into the public sector. When the late Deputy George Colley presented his first budget in that Government there appeared a caption in the Irish Independent“Gamble George” but by June 1979 the people wanted that corrupt, rotten Government out of office. I do not believe the people want a return to a Fianna Fáil Government, particularly when one remembers the internal telephone tapping, the tapping of telephones of journalists and so on. I contend the sooner there is a general election held the better. It would appear that the Leader of the Opposition does not understand the meaning of the word “no” because his party are promising anything at present. While I am against it, perhaps it is a pity there was not a by-election held in Donegal when the Leader of the Opposition would be shown to be the irresponsible leader he is. Bearing in mind the present financial state of the country it appears that the Opposition have no economic policies and that their leader cannot say no to anything.
Order, please.
There are at present five TDs in Donegal.
This is the Deputy's last speech here.
We have not seen too much of Deputy Gene Fitzgerald since he was elected an MEP. The Deputy had better remain quiet or I might be tempted to tell him something about himself.
Deputy McLoughlin, in an orderly fashion, please.
Could I possibly remind the Government, in case it has been forgotten, that proceedings in the House are now recorded.
There are five TDs and one Senator in Donegal. With only a year left to the lifetime of this Government I believe that is ample to serve the people of that constituency. Indeed the Progressive Democrats have said that if they have anything to say in the formation of a future Government, there will be only 100 to 126 TDs in this house. It will be interesting to watch how they vote because if that were the case the number of representatives for Donegal would be reduced from six to five anyway. As I said, it will be interesting to see if they vote for a by-election or to reduce the number in this House.
Everybody is talking about calling a by-election or a general election, but as a member of the Labour Party I want to make it clear that I back the policies of this Government, I believe the Government should finish their term of office and when the election is called we will face the people on our policies. There is a great deal of legislation to be passed in the final days of this Government — the Children (Care and Protection) Bill, the homeless persons Bill and so on. If Fianna Fáil are returned to office these Bills will never be heard of again because Deputy Haughey will do as he did with the family planning legislation — he will consult the Hierarchy to get approval before he brings Bills to the Cabinet.
In response to Deputy McLoughlin, the Progressive Democrats are in favour of fewer Members in this House, and I am sure many people listening to a recording of the proceedings of this House for the first time will agree, but there is a difference between being in favour of fewer Deputies and filling a seat. We support the holding of the by-election because we believe the people of Donegal are entitled to be represented in this House.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by previous speakers when they paid tribute to the Deputy whose death created a vacancy in this House. Deputy Cathal Coughlan was a very able, sincere, dedicated and committed Member of Dáil Éireann and his death was a great loss not only to the people of Donegal but to this House.
I accept the argument that if we were sure a general election would be held within the next few weeks, or even within the next few months, holding a by-election now would be a waste of time but, unfortunately, one cannot be certain that there can be a general election within the next few months. In the circumstances, we will be supporting the writ moved by Deputy Vincent Brady.
I want to mention a couple of points in relation to this motion which I support. In my view the overemphasis on the fact that the Donegal South-West constituency has fewer Members to service the constitutents is unfortunate because the basic issue here is whether the electorate in that area are entitled to their representation in this House. In my view that is a far more important issue than the question of servicing or otherwise of the constituents, important though that may be. On that basis alone there should be a by-election unless the Taoiseach tells us there will be a general election within the next three, four, five or six weeks. If that were to happen, I agree that there should not be a by-election now.
The Minister of State said the Government do not want a by-election because of the large volume of legislation which has to come before the House. In my experience in this House, short as it is, I have yet to see the House close for a by-election. The House continues its operations even during a by-election. If the Government were serious about the large volume of legislation they would permit the by-election to be held and they would continue the work in this House of processing the legislation on the stocks. The real question they must be asking themselves is whether the Government could win. There is no doubt in my mind that if they felt the Fine Gael candidate could win the seat, we would have a by-election in a few weeks' time. If the Minister of State had given that answer she would have been more honest. That would have been a truthful statement.
Deputy Harte suggested that we should arrive at a convention for the filling of vacancies in this house. It is my understanding that the Constitution lays down that there must be a by-election held to fill Dáil vacancies. Presumably that could be circumvented by an agreement between parties that only one candidate would stand and that there would be no election in effect, but I believe that would be fundamentally contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and would be taking us down a very slippery slope where the electorate would be denied the right to express their opinion in a general election or a by-election on the attitudes, policies and performance of any Government. Deputy Harte said this system exists in the United States. I am not an expert on the position in the United States, but I understand that governments there do not stand or fall on the basis of having, or not having, a majority in Congress. Therefore, the situation is not comparable.
Regardless of the great sympathy we have with the tragedy of the Coughlan family, we should not assume that any family has an automatic right to a place in this House. A seat in this House should be only on the basis of the votes of the electorate.
Would Deputies intending to leave the House, please do so now and will those who remain, please remain silent.
