Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 28 Mar 1973

Vol. 265 No. 2

Committee on Finance. - Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1973: Second and Subsequent Stages.

Minister for Local Government (Mr. Tully)

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I would like to thank the House for agreeing to take this Bill at such short notice. The Bill is urgent because some of the provisions contained in it are necessary in order to provide a proper statutory basis for the new register of electors which will come into force on the 15th of next month. The register has been prepared on the basis of a voting age of 18 years in anticipation of the changes in the law proposed by this Bill. The Bill arises directly from the decision of the people at the referendum on 7th December last when they voted overwhelmingly in favour of a lower voting age.

The provisions of the Bill are dealt with in detail in the explanatory memorandum circulated with it but I would like to draw attention to some important aspects. The Bill proposes to reduce the voting age for local government elections to 18 years. I understand and accept that it was the intention of the previous Government to take this step. We have, however, gone a stage further and are proposing that the minimum age for membership of local authorities should also be reduced to 18. This is in accordance with the view which we have consistently advanced that young people should be encouraged to play their part in democratic elections not only by voting but by coming forward themselves as candidates. Deputies appreciate, of course, that the age for membership of the Dáil and Seanad is prescribed by the Constitution and that it is not possible, therefore, to deal with it in this Bill. In any event, perhaps, it is just as well to make a beginning by reducing the age for membership of local authorities. The voting age for election of university members of the Seanad is also being reduced. The electorate in this case are the graduates of the two universities. I understand that there are not many graduates under age 21 who will benefit from this change but I am satisfied, and so was my predecessor, that it is a change which should be made.

I think this short Bill deserves the support of Deputies on both sides and I commend it to the House.

Mr. Molloy

First of all, I should like to avail of this opportunity to congratulate Deputy Tully on his appointment, as my successor, to the office of Minister for Local Government. I wish him well and I expect he will strive to live up to the many promises the Coalition group made before the election. I shall be the first to congratulate him if and when he achieves the target of 25,000 houses. I shall certainly be watching to ensure that this target is achieved. In the financial year just ending a record figure of nearly 21,000 houses was achieved; indeed, when the final figures become available, it is possible that the figure will not be very far short of 21,000. That was achieved under a Fianna Fáil administration. I was happy to be Minister when this magnificent effort was being made. I trust the pace of housing output will not be slowed down and that an increasing number of houses will be produced. I expect the new Minister to work like his Fianna Fáil predecessors did to achieve his target of 25,000 houses.

While I was absent from the House I understand the Minister somewhat unkindly made a statement that I had removed some file from the Department relating to the revision of constituencies.

Mr. Colley

It was not the Minister who made the statement; it was his Parliamentary Secretary.

Mr. Molloy

Ah! I did not expect the Minister would stoop so low. It was intimated to me that the Minister had made the statement.

Mr. Tully

I did say that I would be grateful if the former Minister returned the documents relating to the constituencies re-arrangement Bill.

Mr. Cunningham

"File" was the word used.

Mr. Molloy

The Minister may have been under the impression that some decisions were made in relation to the revision of constituencies. I am sure the first-class officials in the Department will inform him correctly that there were no decisions made in relation to the revision of constituencies.

Mr. Tully

Proposals.

Mr. Molloy

We were not at any stage near the drawing up of a Bill to deal with the revision of constituencies. Because of newspaper comment the Minister may have assumed that there were some documents in the Department. There could be no such documents because I made no decisions with regard to the revision of constituencies. All I had were some notes.

Mr. Tully

And there were no proposals? Then the copies I have got are not correct, because I have copies of what the Minister took with him.

Mr. Molloy

There was no file.

Mr. Tully

We will not fall out about it.

Mr. Molloy

Coming to the Bill before the House, in my introduction to the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution Bill I promised the House I would bring forward legislation revising the voting age in local elections to local authorities. I am glad the new Minister has done this. It was my intention to do this, a fact the Minister recognised in his introductory statement. The only variation is that the Minister is going a step forward and proposing a minimum age; he proposes that the minimum age for membership to local authorities should be reduced to 18 years. We agree that it should be reduced. We approve of the Bill in toto. I personally believe that young people should be brought more and more into the democratic process. These are consequential changes required in the electoral law as a result of the recent referendum. Therefore, I welcome the Bill and I do not see any reason for any difficulty in dealing with it.

I avail of this opportunity to ask the Minister to indicate, when replying, whether it is the intention of the Government to hold the local authority elections this year. They are due to be held, but perhaps the Minister will indicate whether there may be a decision not to hold them. I would like the Minister also to give us some indication as to what are his intentions regarding the restoring of Dublin Corporation and Bray Urban District Council. I think the House appreciates my position in this regard. We had intended holding the local elections and, consequently, as these two areas would have been included, they would have been restored to the previous position.

Mr. Tully

I thank Deputy Molloy for his good wishes and assure him that the promises that have been made by the Coalition Government will be carried out in full.

Regarding the local elections the Deputy will appreciate that we have been in office for only a few weeks. We are considering actively whether these elections should be held this year. Of course they were due to be held last year but were not held for some reason or other, so that we need not be surprised if a decision is made not to hold them this year. I have personal views on the matter but it will be for the Government to make a decision.

Regarding the question of whether Dublin Corporation will be restored, I am sure the former Minister will sympathise with me if I do not make a decision in this regard within a few days of assuming office since he has had several years during which to do this but did not do so. However, I assure him that in the very near future the necessary information regarding the restoring both of Dublin Corporation and Bray Urban District Council will be given so that everybody will know what is the position.

I am grateful to Deputy Molloy and to the Opposition generally for the manner in which they have allowed this Bill to be taken this evening.

Mr. C. Murphy

Ba mhaith liom labhairt anois más féidir liom.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

The Minister has concluded. Therefore, the Deputy is entitled only to ask a question.

Mr. C. Murphy

I would like further clarification regarding the position in respect of Bray Urban District Council. Can the Minister indicate whether, if local elections are not held this year, an exception might be made in respect of Dublin and Bray which are now without their local authorities?

Mr. Tully

So far, no decision in this regard has been taken but I would remind the Deputy that these two areas have been without their representation for a number of years and that the party to which he belongs must bear responsibility for that situation.

Question put and agreed to.

Agreed to take remaining Stages today.

Bill put through Committee, reported without amendment, received for final consideration and passed.

Mr. Molloy

I assure the Minister that I shall not let him off so lightly on the next occasion.