Dempsey 'not sure' if Seanad has role

A SENIOR Minister has said that he is not sure there is a role for the Seanad any longer and that the number of TDs in the Dáil could be reduced from 166 to between 120 and 140.

Following Enda Kenny’s announcement that the Seanad should be abolished, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey agreed with the Fine Gael leader that there was a need for drastic reforms in the Oireachtas.

Speaking on RTÉ yesterday Mr Dempsey said: “The system we have at the moment is not working as far as I am concerned.”

Asked was there still a role for the Seanad, he replied: “I’m not really sure that there is at this stage. There’s certainly not a role for it in the way that it’s elected at the moment with the various panels that people are not familiar with.” He pointed out that reforms suggested by a group led by Mary O’Rourke in 2004 had never been implemented.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen was more guarded in his reaction to Mr Kenny’s speech. He said the Government has decided to set up an independent electoral commission to look at this issue.

He signalled he did not support outright abolition of Seanad Éireann. “I do believe we need to maintain our democratic institutions in this country. Now more than ever . . . The question of reforms and improvements is something that I would give support in terms of the Electoral Commission being asked to look at this dispassionately and objectively.”

When questioned why the recommendations of so many reports on Seanad reform had not been implemented he said, “you vary your democratic institutions with great care”.

Former Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said he saw merit in the Fine Gael proposal. The party said it would be publishing its own document on Seanad reform shortly.

Green Party chairman Dan Boyle said his party believed in a second chamber but that it should be publicly elected. “We also believe there should be a smaller Dáil, with 20 seats less,” he said.