I thank the committee for this opportunity, and it is nice to be here again in Leinster House. I had the opportunity of being here while mayor, as the Chairman indicated. I am going to focus on the representation of certain demographic groups in society and ancillary issues. I will be drawing on my electoral success in the 2004 and 2009 local elections and will touch on my election as the first black mayor in Ireland, and what that year meant for Portlaoise and the country at large.
I ask what the future holds for the election of members from ethnic minority backgrounds. Does the present electoral system favour participation or the election of members from ethnic backgrounds? How can we encourage the political representation of members from ethnic backgrounds? On the ancillary issues I will have an opinion on the proposed establishment of an electoral commission, improving the voting register and a reduction in the voting age from 18 to 16.
I shall begin by drawing on one of the nine basic principles of the European Union, which says:
Allowing immigrants a voice in the formulation of policies that directly affect them may result in policy that better serves immigrants and enhances their sense of belonging. Wherever possible, immigrants should become involved in all facets of the democratic process. Ways of stimulating this participation and generating mutual understanding could be reached by structured dialogue between immigrant groups and governments. Wherever possible, immigrants could even be involved in elections, the right to vote and joining political parties.
My election in the last two local elections was made possible because Ireland is one of the five countries in Europe that allows legally resident migrants to vote and stand for local elections. The four other countries that allow political participation of migrants in local elections are Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. A unique aspect to Ireland allowing migrants to participate in local politics is that they do not have to be legally resident in the State for three years, as in most other countries. To be eligible to participate in local politics in Ireland, a migrant only needs to be resident in the State for no less than 12 months. This unique aspect of our electoral process I will urge this committee to keep and would add that migrants with long-term residency should be allowed to vote in general elections. At the moment, only migrants who are naturalised can vote in general elections.
I arrived in Ireland in 2000 and four years later, I was elected on to the town council and subsequently elected Mayor of Portlaoise in 2007. That year gave me an opportunity to showcase Portlaoise and the country to the whole world. During my year as mayor of the town, I granted well over 500 interviews, 75% of which were with foreign media. The interviews spanned across the continents, from Africa to Asia, Europe to North America, South America to Australia. My election as the mayor of the town put Portlaoise on the map and enhanced the country's integration profile all around the world.
Let me use this opportunity to call on the committee to ensure that the election of 2007 was not a one-off interlude for the migrant community and the country. The committee is in a position to help migrants become more politically visible both at local and national levels. After all, 10% of Ireland's population is foreign-born as is 11% of the labour force.
With the present electoral system, there is little chance for members from ethnic minority backgrounds to be elected into offices. The PRSTV system will always favour members of the majority ethnic group. One only needs to look at the 2009 local elections to see what I am talking about. The last local elections witnessed an unprecedented number of migrant candidates — never before witnessed in the history of the State. The parties explored the new communities for candidates and support. My concern is that many candidates were fielded but very few were elected. Out of 44 contestants from migrant backgrounds, fewer than five secured seats.
With the present PRSTV system, migrant candidates are never going to get enough transfers to see them through. What we saw in the last local elections will continue, with candidates from the majority ethnic group riding on the backs of migrant candidates to reach the quota and secure seats. I do not see PRSTV as a favourable option for migrants getting elected whether at local or national level.
Every candidate, whether from a majority or minority ethnic background requires a system that is simple and less complicated, in which voters cast their votes once and for all for candidates of their choice and sit back to hear the result. Speaking with people from both majority and minority groups, one conclusion we came to with the PRSTV system is that it is clumsy, time consuming and above all very expensive, not to mention the effect it has on intra-party dynamism.
The question then is what is the alternative. I do not have an answer but I am sure there are many good examples that are straightforward, less time-consuming and cheaper to run than those this committee is examining.
If we genuinely want to see active involvement of migrants in politics at local and national levels, we need to sit with migrants around the table and formulate policies that affect each and every one and give migrants a voice to play a part in moving forward a country that most have now made their home. After that, I urge the committee to consider the following in its recommendations. I suggest it ensures a migrant is among the Taoiseach's 11 nominees to the Seanad. Parties should target potential migrant candidates and give them all the needed support to secure a seat. The State should inform migrants of their political rights through an active information policy, as is done in Norway. The number of immigrants in political office has steadily increased in that country with each local election, especially in cities with a large proportion of migrants. The Norwegian Government has consistently funded projects and campaigns to boost immigrant voter turnout in the election years of 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. I am sure we can do the same or better.
The proposed establishment of an electoral commission is a great idea and we should go for it. The current system is great but there is much strain on the council staff who have to combine conducting elections with their statutory duties. It is time we had an independent body that would report directly to the Dáil.
There is no doubt the voting register is all over the place. This problem will be reduced if an electoral commission with sole responsibility for conducting elections and managing the electoral register is put in place. Some of the problems I found with the voting register at the moment include the following: name duplication; name no longer at the address but still in the register; dead person still on the register; thousands not on the register; and a great number of migrants not on the electoral register for many reasons. Ms Rooney was talking about her efforts in registering migrants in one particular area, and I had to do the same in Portlaoise. The people I register represent a fraction of the migrant population in Portlaoise, and that is the same story throughout the country. Some migrants do not know the electoral register exists while others wonder what is the point in registering. Some do not know they can vote or in what election they are eligible to vote. Coming here with experiences of elections in their own countries, some think their votes do not count.
To improve the voting register for the migrant community, I suggest the following. Raising awareness has to be done by producing information leaflets in different languages, using targeted media to reach out to them, such as newspapers, radio, websites, religious institutions, social gatherings and outlets, associations and clubs and so on. The other idea is to use the personal public service, PPS, number. Every migrant resident in the country has a PPS number. It is a great way of getting them on the voting register as they apply for the card. Use one stone to kill two birds. The Department of Social and Family Affairs should share information with the electoral commission which can in turn contact the person. Reduction of the voting age from 18 to 16 is another idea. I suggest that we meet in the middle and propose the minimum college age of 17. That is an age in which people can take up things on their own.
Participation in the political process is one of the most important elements of active citizenship. Political participation of immigrants provides opportunities for integration and should be supported in all its different forms. I again thank the committee for giving me the opportunity to speak today.