The only thing that I can imagine that can be said in support of Senator Douglas's amendments is that they tend to simplify the triennial election. When that is said, I think all that could be usefully said in support of them has been said. The Oireachtas generally is elected on the basis of proportional representation, and to the extent that this amendment allows a bare majority in the Oireachtas to fill all vacancies occurring between two triennial elections the amendment is in conflict with the principle of proportional representation. Supposing four or five vacancies occurred between two triennial elections. Now, a combination of Parties having a majority in the Oireachtas could fill all these, and they would be filled for the period for which the original members would have sat. Then there would be no opportunity of adjusting the balance when a triennial election comes along. The chances of minority Parties would be considerably and fairly materially altered if there were always twenty vacancies instead of perhaps twentyfour or twenty-five. It might mean a difference to a Party of one representative, or it might conceivably mean two in certain circumstances. If there could be an understanding that vacancies occurring between two elections would be filled by a representative of the interests to which the outgoing member belonged I feel I could support this. But if there was such an understanding, how can there be any guarantee that it would be honoured? In the first place, it would have to be put into a Bill. You would have to make it really illegal or impossible for anybody, except representatives of the particular interest concerned, to make a nomination.
For the first couple of years of the life of the Seanad there was a tacit understanding of that kind, and it was fairly generally observed. But it was broken away from, and I cannot see, particularly under the new system, any possibility of restoring that understanding and of making it a practical and binding one. Then there is, of course, the consideration that a general election for the Dáil might completely alter the complexion of the representation there, but for the next triennial election of the Seanad that change could not make itself fully felt, inasmuch as by-elections occurring might not come under review. Of course, when a Dáil vacancy occurs the person elected to fill it fills it for the remaining period, but he has to go out at the next election. There is an opportunity of adjusting it. He must submit himself to the electorate at the first available opportunity. I think that is a good principle to adopt. If a person gets in here, I think it is fair enough that he should submit himself to the electorate at the very first available opportunity. Regarding the point as to redrafting and so forth, if the House does agree to the principle of this amendment, which I hope it will not, I think the amendment, or the whole Bill, should be brought in in a new form, so that it would be put in a much better shape, as it is fairly hard to adjust the amendment to the Bill in its present form. But in any case I oppose the principle of the amendment for the reasons I have stated.