WOULD independent senators receive redundancy payments if they were expected to make way for emigrant representatives, Mr Joe O'Toole asked, tongue in cheek, in the Seanad yesterday.
It had been reported that the Government had decided not to proceed with voting rights for emigrants, the senator said on the Order of Business.
"As one of only six out of 220 elected public representatives, who is elected regularly by emigrant votes, I regret that the Government has walked away from any movement in this direction. We should give serious consideration to how emigrants can be represented in a way which does not threaten the democratic process and which gives them a voice and recognition. It is not beyond the bounds of human ingenuity and it is a pity that the Cabinet has decided to defer the issue rather than address it," added Mr O'Toole.
Leader of the House, Mr Maurice Manning, said he understood the Cabinet had put back a decision on the matter because there was no agreement on what should be done. He doubted if Mr O'Toole would agree with the suggestion of an Oireachtas Select Committee that the six university seats be abolished to make way for emigrant representation.
Mr O'Toole: "No." He added that they were prepared to examine the matter. "Does it come with a cheque? Is there a redundancy payment?"
Mr Manning said there must be a good measure of consensus before any constitutional referendum was held. Indicating that there was unlikely to be attempts at change during the lifetime of the current administration, he noted that the Government would not last beyond October next.