Vol. 396 No. 4
6 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Minister for the Environment if he intends to introduce legislation in accordance with Article 18.4.2º ii. of the Constitution, to make provision in law for the election of Senators by the University of Limerick and Dublin City University.
(Limerick East) asked the Minister for the Environment if he intends to bring forward proposals to amend Article 18.4.1º of the Constitution to enable graduates of the University of Limerick and Dublin City University to participate both as candidates and voters in elections to Seanad Éireann.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 9 together. I have no immediate proposals for change in the representation in the Seanad of third level educational institutions. The question of any change in this regard would be a matter for consideration in the context of a general review of the structures of third level education. There is no constitutional or statutory requirement that a candidate for a Seanad university constituency must be a graduate of the relevant university.
(Limerick East): Does the Minister consider it extremely unfair to graduates of Limerick University and Dublin City University, and indeed graduates of the National Council for Education Awards, that they cannot vote as other graduates do in Seanad elections?
It is an interesting point but I noticed the NIHE authorities made it clear at the time they were getting university status that they were not seeking representation in the Seanad. Apart from that, there is as the Deputy knows an interdepartmental committee sitting on third level education and it might be appropriate for them to deal with the question the Deputy raised.
There are more fundamental anomalies in relation to Seanad representation. I referred to these in a debate in the Seanad some time ago but they were not taken up. For example, what is the democratic justification for awarding a second parliamentary vote to a citizen who had the good fortune as well as the intellectual capacity to achieve a university degree? Is it appropriate to have a university electorate of 17,000 with three seats and another university with an electorate of 71,000 with the same number of seats? There are anomalies running right through the system. I mentioned this in the debate in the Seanad but it did not seem to run. However, after the interdepartmental committee report the matter should be taken up.
(Limerick East): The Minister is probably unaware that inadvertently he has misrepresented the position of the authorities in Limerick University. The reason they did not request Seanad enfranchisement at the time was that they felt that the issue of university status should proceed through the Houses of the Oireachtas in an uncomplicated fashion. That was the only reason, but they want Seanad representation if it is maintained with the other universities. Does the Minister not think it extraordinarily inappropriate in the light of his most recent reply to me that the matter should be referred to a committee on higher education when the appropriate forum should be the Government who are considering the reform of the Houses of the Oireachtas?
I should not like to be seen as misrepresenting the attitude of NIHE in this matter. I found it strange that they would not be seeking Seanad representation.
(Limerick East): That is the reason.
The reference I made to the inter-departmental committee is appropriate. The referendum in 1979 on the seventh amendment to the Constitution made a provision whereby we can deal with this matter by law. The legal avenue has been cleared and the matter should be pursued.
(Limerick East): The former Deputy McDowell who used to grace this House, acting as spokesman on Seanad and Dáil reform for his party, has said there will be proposals of the Government published shortly. Could the Minister give a commitment that the question of the composition of the Seanad will be dealt with in any proposals for Oireachtas reform which are published by the Government?
I am not aware that there is a commitment in that regard. I am not so sure that the commitment of the Progressive Democrats is the same as ours to the question of the Seanad. Maybe it is.
In the context of the Minister's comments about university Senators, would he not acknowledge that the university Senators have over the years made a very substantial input to the Seanad and that there is a very special value in having people who are not part of the ordinary political system elected through the universities? Rather than advocating the abolition of university seats, as the Minister appears to be doing, I would ask him to agree that there should be additional such seats extended to graduates of all third level institutions.
I would acknowledge the contribution made by the university Senators over the years — we have all been witness to that — but it has been no greater, I believe, than the contribution made by the representatives of the other political parties and the Independents there.
