A new report on democracy in Ireland has recommended the introduction of obligatory gender quotas for candidates put forward by political parties to redress the "glaring democratic deficit" of women in the Dáil.
The report, entitled Engaging Citizens, was compiled by the Democracy Commission, an initiative set up by two think tanks, TASC and Democratic Dialogue.
The Commission found that firstly, although people were disillusioned and disenchanted they were not necessarily disengaged from democracy in Ireland.
However, there is a worry, the report said, that if this is not addressed people could soon become disengaged.
The Commission also noted that those at the helm of Irish democracy, the political representatives, were often disillusioned and disenchanted.
As part of its recommendations the Commission said that despite the bad experience Ireland had with electronic voting it is a worthy system for the benefits it will bring. They also recommended extending the postal voting option to all registered voters, including prisoners, in Ireland.
It suggests the establishment of an independent press ombudsman and press council as well as the reversal of recent amendments to Freedom of Information Act.
As a means of educating people on citizenship the Commission recommended introducing citizenship studies as a full optional subject on the Leaving Certificate.
Other things recommended in the report include the automatic registration for voting through PPS national insurance number and the reduction of the age of candidates for elections to Dáil Éireann.