I have taken a note of Deputy Gavan Duffy's suggestion. I now beg to move Article 78, which reads:—
"The first Senate/Seanad Eireann shall be constituted immediately after the coming into operation of this Constitution in the manner following, that is to say:—
(a) The first Senate/Seanad shall consist of two members elected by each of the Universities in the Irish Free State/Saorstát Eireann and fifty-six other members, of whom twenty-eight shall be elected and twenty-eight shall be nominated.
(b) The twenty-eight nominated members of the Senate/Seanad shall be nominated by the President of the Executive Council who shall, in making such nominations, have special regard to the providing of representation for groups or parties not then adequately represented in the Chamber/Dáil.
(c) The twenty-eight elected members of the Senate/Seanad shall be elected by the Chamber/Dáil Eireann voting on principles of Proportional Representation.
(d) Of the University members one member elected by each University, to be selected by lot, shall hold office for six years, the remaining University members shall hold office for the full period of twelve years.
(e) Of the twenty-eight nominated members, fourteen, to be selected by lot, shall hold office for the full period of twelve years, the remaining fourteen shall hold office for a period of six years.
(f) Of the twenty-eight elected members the first fourteen elected shall hold office for the period of nine years, the remaining fourteen shall hold office for the period of three years.
(g) At the termination of the period of office of any such members, members shall be elected in their place in manner provided by Article 31.
(h) Casual vacancies shall be filled in manner provided by Article 33.
(i) For the purpose of the election of members for any University under this Article, all persons whose names appear on the register for the University in force at the date of the coming into operation of this Constitution shall, notwithstanding anything in Article 14, be entitled to vote.”
The last portion of that Article has the effect of not putting in an age limit to the University voters for Seanad. The Electorate for Seanad/Eireann is limited to people upwards of 30 years of age. But in regard to University members it is decided that all people whose names are on the register of the University— that is to say, graduates—shall be entitled to vote. I do not think there is anything in the Article that calls for very special explanation. It simply provides that half of the Seanad shall be nominated by the President and the other half elected by the Dáil, the voting to be on Proportional Representation, and then that the half of the twenty-eight who shall be nominated shall hold office for twelve years, but that the other half shall hold office for six years, and these shall be selected by lot as to which shall hold office for twelve years and which for six years. And the elected members retire in the same way, half holding office for nine years and the remaining half for three years; and that the first election of Seanad takes place as provided in Articles 29, 30, and 31, and so on. I beg to move that the Article stand part of the Bill.