USI call for extension of right to Senate vote

THE Government must move immediately to extend the right to vote for higher education Seanad members to graduates of all third level colleges, students said yesterday.

Union of Students in Ireland (USI) president Richard Morrisroe called for an end to Government stalling on Seanad reforms proposed in a 2004 cross-party report.

It included extending the franchise which is currently only available to graduates of Trinity College Dublin and the four National University of Ireland (NUI) colleges at University College Cork, University College Dublin, NUI Galway and NUI Maynooth.

A 1979 referendum, passed by 93% of voters, allowed for the extension of voting to two panels of the Seanad to graduates of other third-level colleges.

However, no government since has introduced laws to give the vote to alumni of Dublin City University (DCU), University of Limerick (UL) or the 14 institutes of technology, whose numbers are greater than those currently eligible to select three TCD and three NUI senators.