Seanad leader promises reform is on the way

ALL college graduates will be entitled to vote in Seanad elections within 12 months under an extensive process of reform, Fianna Fáil’s new leader of the Seanad pledged yesterday.

On the resumption of the Seanad, its leader Donie Cassidy said a subcommittee of former cathaoirligh and Seanad leaders would be urgently established and tasked with providing a list of recommendations for Seanad reform. “I can tell you now that all colleges will be included and they will be included within next 12 months. That’s a priority of mine,” he told the Irish Examiner. “I’m going to ensure that never again does only 34% of an electorate, as happened on one panel this year, turn out.”

Under the present system, only graduates of Trinity College Dublin, UCD NUI Maynooth, NUI Galway, NUI Limerick and UCC have the opportunity to vote. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has long-campaigned for the inclusion of DCU and institutes of technology on the voting register.

In a strong critique of RTÉ, Mr Cassidy said the national broadcaster had failed to adequately cover the Seanad elections. A meeting with the chairman of the RTÉ authority is being sought.

In his temporary role as acting chairman of the Seanad, before the election of the new cathaoirleach yesterday, the chamber’s longest-serving senator Shane Ross told members that the House was often perceived as the products of “a political war and elitist elections”.

He insisted that the Seanad should be used to scrutinise “public appointments made for political reasons”.

As an example of a misuse of public appointments, he cited the Taoiseach’s appointment of four interim senators in June to replace those senators who had been elected TDs in the general election. Fianna Fáil’s general secretary Sean Dorgan, the Taoiseach’s election agent, Chris Wall, former FF TD Donie Cassidy and FF activist Peter Sands were appointed “temporary” senators at the time.

Mr Ross said that with the exception of Mr Cassidy, the other appointees had no interest in contesting the elections.

Cases such as this are “used too often to award people for political favour”, Mr Ross said.

Describing the university system through which he was elected as “flawed”, the Independent senator said Seanad elections should be held on the same day as the Dáil elections.

Following a brief debate on the need to reform the Seanad, FF’s Pat Moylan was appointed to the position of cathaoirleach without an election, having received cross-party endorsements.

Fine Gael’s Paddy Burke was reappointed leas cathaoirleach.