I was the best acolyte holder in the room. They did not allow me near the vessel in which the frankincense was put.

Frankincense.

Yes, father.

We are talking about 16-year-olds and it is not the case that they just wake up one morning and say they are ready to vote and engage in politics. Those steps begin at a very early age and they begin even earlier for communities that are disenfranchised because they begin to compare those things to which they do not have access. They probably think this is just the way it is, but that is what we need to change. We can do that through enfranchising people much younger. Too many people from communities like mine beli…

Blame the church.

I want to come back in to pick up on a couple of points. I am glad Senator Kyne came back into the room. Senator Malcolm Byrne said there is a concern that people would vote for fringe candidates or crazies.

When Senator Kyne rephrased that in his contribution, he referred to candidates on the left. I wanted to pick up on the point. Senator Malcolm Byrne did not mention the left. He referred to fringe candidates and crazies. I would like to acknowledge that candidates of the left are neither fringe nor crazy.

In listening to everyone's contributions, I am mindful we are trying to make the case for how active young people are. That is obviously a good thing. We are trying to note how knowledgeable and opinionated they are. I would like to state we do not require that level of input from anybody else who votes in the political system.

I know we are trying to demonstrate a case but we do not carry out any sort of psychological, emotional, well-being or capacity assessment on anybody from the age of 18 upwards. We would not say that 30-year-olds cannot vote because a portion of them do not go to Pride or engage in climate activism. It feels as if we are putting an awful lot of responsibility on 16-year-olds to the extent they have to be super-activists to be deemed worthy of a vote. Politics is more than activism. It is about arriving in the booth…

I move amendment No. 17: In page 22, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(3) Where the Commission enters into contracts or appoints persons as consultants or advisers, a record of such contracts and consultations shall be kept and laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on a bi-annual basis.” This amendment inserts a new subsection into section 15 requiring that, where the commission enters into contracts or appoints persons as consultants or advisers, a record of such contracts and consultations s…

I move amendment No. 19: In page 24, line 39, after "time" to insert ", but only once". Amendment No. 19 seeks to limit the term of the chief executive to being renewable only once. Currently, the Bill provides that the chief executive can have a five-year term and may be reappointed but not for more than ten years sequentially at a time. This amendment would look to only allowing two terms for the chief executive and no more than that. I spoke earlier about transparency and accountability. In other positions of gr…

Yes.

I move amendment No. 20: In page 25, to delete lines 1 to 3.

I move amendment No. 21: In page 25, line 10, after “section” to insert “, having due regard to the desirability of the appointee having knowledge of, and experience in, the areas as set out in section 9(4) ”.

I move amendment No. 22: In page 27, line 19, after “office” to insert “with a record of such representations to be kept”.

I move amendment No. 23: In page 29, lines 23 and 24, to delete “in such manner as the Commission considers appropriate” and substitute “in an accessible manner on a website maintained by the Commission”. Amendment No. 23 seeks to amend the provision that the commission shall publish its annual report in such a manner as it deems appropriate by removing the language "as it deems appropriate" and replacing it with "in an accessible manner on a website maintained by the Commission". We know that there are plain Engli…

I move amendment No. 24: In page 30, line 18, after "Office" to insert ", the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission". The amendment seeks to provide that the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, be included alongside the Central Statistics Office and Ordnance Survey Ireland as an organisation that may assist the commission in the performance of its functions. The IHREC has a unique role as a State body and is uniquely equipped to support the commission in areas of equality and human rights. The e…

Vótáil.

I move amendment No. 25: In page 30, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “(d) to review the electoral system and franchise for Seanad Éireann;”. This is a really important amendment for the Civil Engagement group. It seeks to include that one of the expressed functions of the electoral commission would be to review the electoral system and franchise for Seanad Éireann. We have two unfulfilled mandates when it comes to Seanad reform. First, the seventh amendment to the Constitution to allow for the cre…

I move amendment No. 33: In page 31, line 35, to delete “next of kin” and substitute “close relative”.