Role for Northern MPs in Dail to be examined

A proposal that MPs elected in the North should be entitled to sit in the Dail is being actively considered by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. The all-party committee reached agreement on Thursday to examine ways in which people living in Northern Ireland could play a more active role in this State.

It will also consider the possibility of permitting Irish citizens living in the North to vote in presidential elections and referendums.

The committee, chaired by Fianna Fail TD Mr Brian Lenihan, has decided to examine these three proposals under a review of the institutions of State - the Presidency, the Dail and the Seanad. It plans to report back to the Government in the autumn.

The question of allowing Northerners to play a more active political role in the South was raised by the Sinn Fein leadership with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in the final hours of the multi-party talks in Belfast just before Easter.

Mr Ahern wrote to Mr Lenihan on April 11th, saying that, in the context of the Belfast Agreement concluded the previous day, he would like to recommend for the committee's consideration "how people living in Northern Ireland might play a more active part in national political life, to the extent that they so desire and in a spirit consistent with the principles underlying the peace settlement".

"I would ask you to have the committee actively consider the proposals that MPs elected in the North should be entitled to sit in the Dail and that Irish citizens living in the North should be entitled to vote in presidential elections and referendums," Mr Ahern said.

Before the signing of the Belfast Agreement on April 10th, it had been suggested in political circles that the Taoiseach was thinking of giving Northern politicians extra seats in the Seanad. This proposal, however, was not recommended to the committee by Mr Ahern. He had told the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, in the week before the agreement was concluded that he did not envisage offering such representation to one tradition only.

In the Taoiseach's current proposal, it is not clear if it would cover Westminster MPs or those elected to the new Northern Ireland Assembly on June 25th.

The proposition that Northern MPs should be entitled "to sit in the Dail" would seem to indicate that the Taoiseach is thinking of offering them a right of audience in the chamber. This would enable them to speak, on invitation, but not to participate in votes. This right has been sought, periodically, by Irish MEPs but has never been granted.

Informed sources suggested yesterday that it may be more realistic to offer Irish citizens living in the North a vote in future presidential elections.

Meanwhile, An Post will begin delivering copies of the Belfast Agreement to 1.3 million households in the State from Tuesday. It is expected to take 10 days.

On Tuesday, the Cabinet will discuss the implications of yesterday's High Court ruling for the two referendum campaigns on May 22nd. Yesterday, Mr Justice Carney found that the failure by RTE to allocate equal time for uncontested broadcasts by the Yes and No sides in the 1995 divorce referendum had resulted in inequality amounting to "unconstitutional unfairness".

An RTE spokesman said the station would study the judgment. He said it was now clear that if party political or special broadcasts, which would be partisan and uncontested, were to be held, equal air-time would have to be given to Yes and No campaigners on both referendums. The station would decide in the next few days if it would carry party political broadcasts at all.