Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I echo the sentiments of gratitude to Mr. Martin Groves, his staff, the ushers and all the other people in Leinster House who have looked after us so well over the past four and a bit years. We are truly in their debt. I will be saying other things about the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission later, but I note that, in the explanatory memorandum to the Bill we face today, the commission did not even bother to take out the paragraph seeking permission from the Government to print the Bill in the first place. It slipped through in an unrefined way.

This House will remain in position until the eve of the election of its successor. Therefore, it will be available to the incoming Government in December and January to conduct business if there is urgent business to be conducted. Members of this House will remain in office unless they get elected to the other House or resign in the meantime.

When it comes to the status of this House, Leo Varadkar came in here on 1 February 2018 and promised us he was going to reform the Seanad. He cynically and disreputably junked that promise. As such, we have a Seanad that will continue until the method of voting its Members into place is reformed. We have a Seanad in which 43 Members are elected by approximately 1,200 others. If the new Bill on university Seanad representation passes, the country will be divided in a most undemocratic and non-republican manner between those who have a degree and those who do not. It should be stated that, on occasion, the Government says it reformed the university seats. It sent in its Attorney General to oppose any reform of the university seats. When he lost that case, he sought five years to do something about it and was given two. This is a House where the Government used its majority to vote down the proposal on the election of the Cathaoirleach by secret ballot despite a commitment to the opposite being given by Leo Varadkar. This is a House where the guillotine is used more and more routinely. All of these things remain unresolved and unreformed. Although I wish well those Members of this House who seek election to Dáil Éireann, this House will exist up to and after the next election and the case for reform has never been stronger. The need for the Government and Opposition parties and Independent aspirants to Dáil Éireann to back the case for Seanad reform has never been stronger.