The Working Group on Seanad Reform has recommended a majority of Seanad seats be elected by popular vote and voting be extended to Irish citizens in Northern Ireland and abroad.
The report by the group on reforming the Seanad was published this morning.
Working group recommendations:
- 36 of the 60 seats be directly elected from five vocational panels and from the university constituency
- 13 of the 60 seats be indirectly elected from an electoral college of all elected county and city councillors, TDs and outgoing Senators
- Concept of vocational representation be retained but modernised
- Legislative change with a view to ensuring access to nomination for as wide a range of candidates as is necessary to reflect the complexity and diversity of modern Irish society.
The group saw as its principal objective "the restructuring and reforming of Seanad Éireann to bring it into line with international best practice for Second Houses of Parliament in the 21st Century".
The report also included timelines and processes for the implementation of its recommendation.
The working group included a draft bill as part of its final report, which will be available within the next four weeks.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said the report will not sit on the shelf along with others on the same topic.
Speaking in Castlebar, he said the report was an innovative and radical document.
Mr Kenny said all the recommendations were possible to implement under the existing Constitutional provisions.
However, he said the report could not be implemented before the next General Election.
It was still very worthy of discussion at a political level and by members of the public to determine what they wanted from a potentially revamped Seanad, he said.
Mr Kenny said it would not be another report at the end of a long line of 11 reports over the last 50 years on Seanad reform.
