Women failed by political system, admits Taoiseach

THE political system has been a failure in terms of getting women involved in elected office, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said.

Defending the decision to legislate for gender quotas in candidate selection for the next general election, he said encouraging greater participation by women in public life would lead to “better politics”.

“I know that quotas and the issue of quotas is always a cause of energetic debate,” Mr Kenny told a How To Elect More Women conference in Dublin.