AN OIREACHTAS committee has announced it will investigate whether or not the Irish electoral system is fit for purpose and address the problem of disengagement among sections of the electorate.
Fianna Fáil TD Seán Ardagh, chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, said the committee would hold public hearings in Leinster House with expert witnesses. These will begin on Wednesday.
“It is clear to us as politicians that we need to do more to remedy the disengagement of segments of the population from the democratic process. That disengagement is the principal theme that will be highlighted throughout our review,” he said.
The committee will consider whether or not proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote in multi-seat constituencies results in an inclusive and fully-representative parliament.
It will also address the issue of “clientelism” and ask if the Irish system elects a Dáil whose members are overly preoccupied with local issues rather than developing policy expertise.
Mr Ardagh said “clientelism is alive and working” in Irish politics.
Committee member and Fine Gael TD Michael D’Arcy said: “Clientelism isn’t wrong. It’s when it dominates it’s wrong.”
Fianna Fáil TD Michael Kennedy, also a member of the committee, said: “The psyche of the Irish voter demands that whether we like it or not.”
Mr Adagh invited interested individuals and organisations to submit submissions in writing to the committee by November 30th, which he said would inform the final report.
The report, which will be presented to Government, would be completed by the end of January. The committee will be assisted by two PhD students based at Trinity College Dublin.
Mr Ardagh said some Ministers and other Oireachtas members believed the electoral system should be reformed.
The possibility of reducing the voting age from 18 to 16, the means of achieving greater gender balance in the Dáil and a new revision of constituency boundaries will also be discussed.
The committee will also consider the existence of Independent non-party TDs, who were described at the launch of the review as an “internationally unique Irish phenomenon”.
