Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has committed his party to abolishing Seanad Éireann if he becomes Taoiseach.

In a dramatic move, Mr Kenny has told Fine Gael’s Presidential Dinner in Dublin tonight that he will end Ireland’s bicameral system within his first term in Government and also reduce the number of TDs by at least 20.

He also vowed that he would bring in what he called a “drastic reduction” in Minister’s pay levels and also introduce a fair and transparent expenses regime for all Oireachtas members.

He said the abolition of the Seanad and the reduction of over 20 T.D.s would save an estimated €150 million over a full five-year Dáil term.

“I don’t want Fine Gael to simply talk about change. I want to demonstrate that we mean what we say. To persuade the electorate that we are serious about change, we ourselves have to embody that change,” he told the dinner at City West tonight, which was attended by 1,800 party members.

Mr Kenny also said that a General Election is on it way soon and that Fine Gael is ready to enter Government.

“Whenever a General Election happens, the Irish people will want more than a change of faces around the Cabinet table. They will want a Government with a clear vision for Ireland and a plan to make that vision a reality. They will want a Government that is truly committed to radical change. Fine Gael will be that Government.”

He said that Fine Gael would create 100,000 jobs on the back of its €11bn investment plan and would also replace the current health system with a one-tier universal health system based on the Dutch model.

He also chided the Fianna Fail-led governments of the past decade for always taking the soft option and the easy way out.

“They created a system that bows down before the vested interests of both the private and the public sector, where compromise was the order of every day and where billions of taxpayers’ money was wasted.

“There is now no pot of gold as the Minister for Finance has pointed out and the reason there is no pot of gold is that Fianna Fáil have spent and wasted it in the last decade.”

Outlining his thinking on the abolition of the Seanad, Mr Kenny said: “I have come to the conclusion that a second house of the Oireachtas can no longer be justified. In abolishing Seanad Éireann, I have examined the outcome of similar decisions in countries such as Sweden, Denmark and New Zealand.

“Our two-house Oireachtas is an odd man out in Europe. Two-thirds of all European Parliaments are unicameral. Those that are not tend to be large or federal.”

However, that will involve some 33 changes to the Constitution, which would necessitate a referendum. He said that he would hold that within a year of taking office.