GREEN PARTY leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley plans to bring a report on Seanad reform to the Government “before Christmas”.
The Minister takes the view that “substantive reform” of the Upper House, such as direct elections of members by the public, would require a constitutional referendum.
However, Seanad scrutiny of public appointments could be introduced by legislation and other reforms such as a greater role in the North-South relationship would not require changes in the law.
The Minister has released minutes of inter-party meetings and submissions on Seanad reform.
The documentation includes a letter from Fine Gael Seanad leader Senator Frances Fitzgerald, dated November 3rd, to “formally update” the Minister on the Fine Gael position on the future of the Upper House.
“Fine Gael is committed to holding a constitutional referendum on the abolition of the Seanad within one year of being elected to government.
“While this is our clear objective, we recognise the need for the workings of the Seanad to be as effective as possible in the period between now and the holding of such a referendum.
“In that context, Fine Gael is prepared to consider interim changes in the operation of the House until its future has been decided by the people in a referendum.
“I wish to advise you that this correspondence is the submission of the Fine Gael Party to your all-party group on Seanad reform and supersedes any previous correspondence,” Ms Fitzgerald writes.
In an earlier letter received on April 24th, 2008, Senator Fitzgerald expresses her party’s support for giving the Seanad “a scrutiny role in terms of public appointments”.
With the letter, she includes Fine Gael’s previous Seanad policy, which included having 20 out of the 60 senators chosen by the electorate from the Euro constituencies and giving all third-level graduates the right to vote for the six university senators.
The minutes of the all-party group on Seanad reform cover the period from June 2008 to April 2009.
At a meeting on April 30th this year, Fine Gael and the Green Party were at odds over an “enabling” amendment to the Constitution, which would permit subsequent reform by legislation.
The Green Party supported an enabling amendment “as part of a rolling reform process” but Fine Gael was opposed to it, “as this would allow a government to change the composition of the Upper House at will, without cross-party consensus or referral to the people”.
Labour reserved its position on the amendment, although it supported “an element of direct election” of senators by the electorate, “either as part of the European elections or a general election”.
Sinn Féin supported “an entirely directly elected Upper House, but would support reform of the higher education constituency as a step in the right direction”. The university group Senators supported direct elections “in principle” but had “reservations” in relation to an enabling constitutional amendment.
Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Féin all supported “a role for the Seanad in the appointment of senior public officials”.
The record of the meeting stated that members of the all-party group inquired as to whether concerns about possible abuse of an enabling constitutional amendment by the government of the day could be allayed.
The Minister responded that, “in his view, details of the Government’s reform intentions would have to be clearly communicated prior to a referendum in order to sufficiently inform the electorate”.