Figures show failed Dáil hopefuls recycled by parties for Seanad

Forty per cent of Seanad members were defeated in the 2011 general election and almost two-thirds of Senators have lost out in the race for a Dáil seat at some point in their political careers.

A review of the last four incarnations of the Seanad shows defeated Dáil candidates are being recycled by parties, with the trend most common in 2007 when it applied to 30 of the 60 members elected or appointed.

DCU political scientist Eoin O’Malley said party leaders are using the Seanad to “manage the careers” of politicians. “You can see it is an antechamber to the Dáil, where people who want to get into the Dáil . . . will use it as a way of increasing their profile or making the fall not quite so hard for them.”

The Seanad features 24 Senators defeated in the 2011 general election and 37 of the 60 members have been defeated in the race for a Dáil seat at some point.

In 2002, almost 42 per cent (25 of 60) of Seanad members were defeated in the previous general election. And in 1997 it was about 37 per cent (22 of 60). Twenty-three current Senators have never fought a general election or byelection. The majority are non-party, elected through the six-seat university panel or as one of the Taoiseach’s 11 choices.