The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, is to set up an all-party group, to consider the implementation of Seanad reform.
Mr Gormley said he would use the group to seek all-party agreement on all the elements of reform in the 2004 Report on Seanad Reform.
In the absence of agreement, however, he said he would proceed with extending the university franchise beyond the current system which is restricted to NUI and TCD.
The all-party group would assess the basis on which the third level franchise could be widened.
