Dáil gender quota a welcome move

I NEVER thought I’d see the day when I was writing to the Irish Examiner to congratulate a Fine Gael Minister on anything, yet here I am.

I’m delighted that Minister Phil Hogan has bitten the bullet on Dáil reform and moved to introduce a gender quota and financial penalty for political parties to fail to implement the quota.

Our Dáil is hugely lacking with only 25 of the current 166 being women. It is well documented that women face additional barriers when trying to enter politics. If we were to continue with the status quo it is estimated that it would take over 300 years to achieve gender parity in the chamber. I, for one, am happy to try a solution, proven to work in other countries, so that my 10-year-old niece will see more women in the most powerful positions in the country and be inspired to achieve great things.