THE abolition of the six university seats in the Seanad in order to seats for emigrants - has been proposed by the Dail committee asked to report on emigrants' representation in the Oireachtas.
It rejected as impracticable the extension to emigrants of postal voting in Dail elections, but suggested that giving them voting rights in referendums and presidential elections should be considered in the future.
However, the PD spokesman on finance, Mr Michael McDowell, strongly dissented from the majority view of the committee. He opposed its view on the impracticality of giving emigrants votes in Dail elections, the suggestion that a panel of members in the Seanad would be an effective substitute, and the proposal for the abolition of the university seats.
The Finance and General Affairs Committee, chaired by Mr Jim Mitchell TD, was asked by the Government last March to consider its Consultation Paper on Representation of Emigrants in Seanad Eireann. It presented its report yesterday.
The committee received submissions from two emigrants' organisations, Glor an Deorai and the Irish Emigrant Vote Campaign. Both emigrants' groups sought voting rights for emigrants in Dail elections, based on the constituencies in which they lived prior to emigration. The committee took the view that, as the Constitution specifies that Dail elections take place within 30 days of a dissolution of the Dail, this would not be practicable.
Elections to the Seanad take place within 90 days of its dissolution, and the committee felt this was more appropriate to postal voting. It therefore agreed with the Government's proposal on the election of emigrants' representatives to the Seanad.
The Government had suggested the election of three emigrants' representatives, and the reduction of the Taoiseach's nominees from 11 to eight to facilitate this. However, the committee suggested that abolishing the university seats would be preferable, adding that this would allow for an increase in the emigrants' representation to at least five.
Those who had lived in the State within the last 20 years would be eligible to vote. Mr Mitchell said the estimated cost of the proposal would be about £10.3 million.
Mr McDowell said these proposals were not worth serious consideration and would waste £10 million. He added: "The only interest most people had was to give emigrants voting rights in Dail elections. The whole issue has now changed."
The Union of Students in Ireland has also rejected the committee's report.