Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has vowed that his party’s radical plans for reforming politics will be enforced within 12 months of him becomin Taoiseach.
At the launch of New Politics in Dublin today, Mr Kenny said that the document would provide a template and a “fundamental pillar of how we change the country the better for the next generation of citizens.”
The document was unveiled by Mr Kenny, environment spokesman Phil Hogan, and deputy leader Richard Bruton. Mr Hogan said that it was the most ambitious political reform package since the 1930s and would place the citizen firmly at the centre of Government.
Mr Bruton said that the reforms were necessary to aid recovery in the economy.
The main features of the plan are the abolition of the Seanad and a smaller Dáil, with 20 fewer TDs. It also proposes a much stronger Dáil, with TDs from all parties having new powers to vet public appointments. Deputies in Committee will be able to hold public agencies and Government Departments to account as well as having a much more robust involvement in legislation.
“The Dáil has become an observer of Government rather than a participant,” said Mr Hogan. “We have also seen an outsourcing of Government work to quangos. We will reduce the number of quangos by 150 in Government,” he said.
The final document, however, excludes two of the more controversial reforms suggested by the party leadership but rejected by its own TDs and Senators.
Earlier drafts included various models of a list system, with one suggesting that up to 15 TDs would be non-constituency. That has been dropped as has any reference to legislation being introduced to impose quotas for women candidates.
Mr Kenny and Mr Hogan both said that the issues would be discussed by the citizens assembly but denied that their exclusion represented a setback for their plans. The Fine Gael leader also said that he has instructed the party to set minimum targets for women candidates.
Other new initiatives including moves towards more open and transparent government by strong Freedom of Information legislation; new whistleblower legislation and compulsory registration of lobbyists.
The party intends to hold a "super-referendum" within a year of entering Government. A number of amendments will be proposed including abolishing the Seanad; giving constitutional power to Dáil committees, putting the Ombudsman’s office on a constitutional footing, and decreasing the Presidential term from seven, to five, years.
The other major initiative is a citizens’ assembly, based on a model already used in Canada and The Netherlands, which would discuss some of the issues not included in the document.
Mr Hogan said it would involve up to 100 citizens drawn from all sections of society. He said the party would publish all its findings but said that the experience elsewhere was that this was a highly effective way of engaging citizens with new ideas on democracy and institutions.