Ahern wants EU issues role for Seanad

ENTRUSTING Seanad Éireann with much greater responsibility to deal with European and international issues would reduce the democratic deficit between Ireland and the EU, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said yesterday.

Speaking before Mary O'Rourke's Seanad Reform Sub-Committee, which is this week hearing submissions on reform of the upper house, Mr Ahern said the Seanad would be the ideal place to debate European issues.

He said he had no problem with the suggestion, made earlier in the Progressive Democrat submission to the committee, that the sitting Taoiseach should be legally obliged to address the Seanad before EU summits.

"European issues have to be dealt with somewhere and I think the Seanad is an ideal place to air at least the policy issues," he said.

During his 45-minute contribution to yesterday's hearing, Mr Ahern said it was crucial that Ireland developed a mechanism for debating and dealing with EU policy decisions as the EU enlarged and became more centralised.

"The old traditional presidency that we've been used to for 30 years it will be gone this time next year. That's the reality, it's gone. Where then is the link, where is the accountability? And is it good enough to have all these things on a world stage going on that directly or indirectly affect you and the only place it's dealt with is a specialist committee with a handful of people," he said.

Also at yesterday's Seanad sub-committee hearing, Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin said many in his party believed the Seanad should be abolished completely a position also put forward yesterday by the Workers Party.

"The Seanad as currently constituted is undemocratic and elitist. It is elected on a very restricted and in some aspects, perverse franchise," he said. However, he backed away from previous Sinn Féin calls for the abolition of the Seanad.

"The bottom line in our submission is that the Seanad should be elected by universal suffrage of citizens throughout the 32 counties and those resident in Ireland for more than five years and over the age of 16," he said.

In a move also endorsed by Sinn Féin, former Fine Gael Taoiseach John Bruton said Irish emigrants living abroad should be allowed to vote in Seanad elections. "I believe it is a matter of some urgency, and an issue of justice, to allow emigrants to have a vote here," he told the committee.

The SDLP, in its submission suggested that senators from the North could be elected by an electoral college comprised of councillors, members of the Northern Assembly, Northern MPs and Northern MEPs, while the Alliance Party proposed that two or three of the Taoiseach's nominees should be from the North.

The sub-committee continues it's hearings until Friday during which time all political parties and interested parties will make their submissions.

Aside from this week's hearings it is understood that the sub-committee has received 161 submissions, many of them from members of the public, on reform of the Seanad.