The case for Seanad reform

As one who has campaigned for Seanad reform for over 30 years and played a role in the recent referendum I greatly regret that due to the fact of my temporary hospitalisation I cannot take part in today’s debate on Seanad reform led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Firstly, I would like to put on record that not just myself but all university senators from both universities over many years have urged the Government to use the power granted by the people by referendum in 1979 to extend the university franchise.

However, this will present technical problems. There is, to start with, the question of how flexible the definition of a university/third-level institution will be. I have always favoured the retention of the distinctive character of the two existing constituencies with the current Dublin University panel taking in all the Dublin centred institutions such as DCU, DIT etc and the University of Limerick, WIT etc going in with the National University panel, but this may prove itself problematical by exacerbating the existing disproportionately of numbers. Critically the matter of the preparation of an accurate register, no mean task, for what will be gigantic constituencies, the current combined register already containing approximately 200,000 details, will have to be faced.