Committee Reports::Report - Seanad Panel Elections::06 May, 1947::Proceedings of the Joint Committee


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IMEACHTA AN CHOMH-CHOISTE

PROCEEDINGS OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE

Dé Máirt, 6ú Bealtaine, 1947.

Tuesday, 6th May, 1947.

1. The Joint Committee met at 4.30 p.m.

2. Present: Ceann Comhairle (Chairman): Minister for Local Government; Deputies Bartley, B. Brady, P. Cogan and McCarthy; and Senators Counihan, Duffy, Hayes, Hearne and Kingsmill Moore.

3. The Joint Committee resumed consideration of the Chairman’s Draft Report.

New paragraphs.

Amendment proposed (Senator Kingsmill Moore):

“To add at the end of the report the following new paragraph:

‘The report of the Joint Committee, though in certain respects a compromise between divergent views, has been arrived at without a division and the Committee believe that their suggestions, if carried into effect by legislation, will prove to be a definite improvement on the present method of election. At the same time the Committee desire to emphasise their view that it is unlikely that a final solution of all difficulties has been reached. Experience in the working of the proposed system will probably reveal defects and suggest improvements.’”

Question:—“That the new paragraph be there inserted”—put, and agreed to.

Amendment proposed (Senator Hayes):

“To add at the end of the report the following new paragraph:

‘It should also be mentioned that some members of the Joint Committee wished to raise matters relating to a radical reconstitution of the Seanad as a whole; but the Chairman ruled that the Committee were precluded by the terms of reference from considering such matters.’”

Question:—“That the new paragraph be there inserted”—put, and agreed to.

Amendment proposed (Chairman):

“To add at the end of the report the following new paragraph:

‘The following is a summary of the principal recommendations of the Joint Committee:—

	Par. 4.	(i) That a new register of nominating bodies be established on a somewhat broader basis than the present;
	Par. 12.	(ii) That in lieu of the appeal committee as at present constituted to consider appeals in connection with the annual revision of the register an appeal board be established consisting of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of each House together with a Judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court;
	Pars. 14 & 15.	(iii) That the system of nomination of candidates by registered nominating bodies be continued, subject to final selection of candidates by nominating committees for election by the electorate;
	Par. 21.	(iv) That members of both Houses of the Oireachtas be entitled to nominate candidates;
	Par. 23.	(v) That the present division of each panel into two sub-panels be continued subject to provision being made for a like fixed minimum number of members of Seanad Éireann to be elected from each sub-panel of a panel;
	Par. 28.	(vi) That there be a separate election and a separate vote in respect of each panel;
	Par. 29.	(vii) That the present provisions for postal voting be replaced by a system under which the elector shall attend before a local returning officer to receive his several ballot papers and, forthwith, in the presence of the said returning officer shall mark them and post them in the postal box specially provided for the purpose; Deputy and Senator electors being permitted, on notice, either to mark their ballot papers as above or in the presence of the Seanad Returning Officer at his Office;
	Par. 30.	(viii) That the electorate be increased to include the members of both Houses of the Oireachtas and all the members of the Council of each County and County Borough;
	Par. 31.	(ix) That a casual vacancy caused by the death, etc., of a nominee of a nominating body shall be filled by direct election of the appropriate nominating committee; and that such a vacancy arising among the Oireachtas nominees shall be filled by direct election of the members of both Houses of the Oireachtas, and
	Par. 32.	(x) That the Clerk of the Seanad be the Seanad Returning Officer.’”

Question:—“That the new paragraph be there inserted”—put, and agreed to.

Question:—“That the Chairman’s Draft Report, as amended, be the Report of the Joint Committee”—put, and agreed to.

Ordered: To report to both Houses accordingly.

5. The Joint Committee concluded at 5.30 p.m.