These amendments provide that an coimisiún toghcháin would recommend Dáil and European Parliament constituencies based on four, five and six seats, that it would recommend as few three-seat constituencies as possible and as many five-seat constituencies as possible when making recommendations regarding Dáil constituencies, and that it would have regard to all county boundaries, including within Dublin, when making recommendations on constituencies. I thank the Senator for the amendments, which raise interesting poi…

We have discussed this quite a lot and the overarching point I will make is that the potential the establishment of this commission will have to achieve all the objectives spoken about around participation of minorities, gender balance in our electoral process and making Dáil, Seanad and council chambers more representative of the people therein cannot be underestimated. It has immense potential. I do not want to be prescriptive or restrict the commission in trying to achieve that but at pre-legislative scrutiny of…

I again thank Senators Higgins, Ruane, Flynn and Black for these amendments, which specify an coimisiún's approach to conducting its public education and information function under section 66 of the Bill. I am strongly of the view that it would be desirable that an coimisiún would carry out its work on increasing awareness of and participation in the State's electoral and democratic processes, with a strong emphasis on groups that are under-represented. Being mindful of an coimisiún's independence, however, I inten…

I thank all the Senators for their contributions. I will make a general point on the discussion we have had. I wholeheartedly support the notion of Seanad reform. There was not a commitment to it in the programme for the Government. It is a three-party programme for Government negotiated with three parties in good faith. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, gave a commitment to examine the issue further and I will be happy to take up that matter with my colleague. Our imperative here is to get this legislation pas…

There is nothing to stop the electoral commission from making recommendations on any aspect of electoral law, including Seanad electoral law. The point was made by Senator Higgins that the possibility is there. Yes, it is tasked with quite an amount of work. We have already spent five and a half hours on this. We will have had seven and a half hours in total. I absolutely respect the points made by Senator McDowell but there has been considerable time given, quite rightly. At the last session, we discussed quite ex…

I again thank Senators Ruane, Higgins, Black and Flynn for these amendments and the sentiment behind them on improving accessibility and participation. It is important and something we all want to achieve. These amendments seek to amend existing provisions in order that, first, as part of an coimisiún's referendum functions, the statement it prepares and publishes to explain the subject matter of referendums be published in plain language; that is amendment No. 29. Second, amendment No. 30 proposes that print media…

In my response to the amendments there is a strong commitment that we are already going - I will not say above and beyond - strongly in ensuring inclusivity, including referendum guides around Braille, Irish Sign Language, audio, large print format and easy-to-read format for people with intellectual disabilities. Thus, we are already doing that. The referendum commission ethos in that regard will transfer to the electoral commission as well. Importantly, we have throughout this had strong engagement with various o…

I thank the Senators for their contributions. Section 51 provides for transparency on the register of political parties and it will be open to the commission to publish it on its website. Political parties have a responsibility to publish material about the party on their websites. It is something my party and, I am sure, all the established parties take seriously.

The onus on and responsibility of political parties in that regard are critical in order that people who want to look up a political party or are interested in joining one are able to clearly see on the party's website its guiding principles, founding principles, etc. All political parties should adhere to that. I thank Senators Moynihan, Hoey, Sherlock and Wall for the proposed amendments relating to the publication of the register of political parties. These amendments were previously tabled by Deputy Nash on Com…

Government amendment No. 1 in Dáil Éireann to amendment No. 48 from Seanad Éireann is moved to correct a typographical error in the new section 97 of the Bill. A technical reference to the Act of 2004, which is the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, is substituted in place of an incorrect reference to the Act of 2003.

As Senators are aware, informed decision-making is at the heart of the democratic process and it is crucial for meaningful exercise of the right to vote. When voters are misinformed they may choose a candidate or vote in favour of a constitutional change in violation of their true preferences. Behaviours that interfere with informed decision-making can remove accountability from electoral processes and undermine trust in free and fair elections. Traditionally, we have trusted the professional values of the media an…

I thank the Acting Chairperson. With regard to the queries of Senator Kyne, it relates to the period. It is either the period set by the commission or the three months prior to the last date for an election. I think that explains it. It is restricted to an electoral period as the electoral commission is regulating it. It relates specifically to the electoral period of which the commission will have oversight. Senator Ruane asked a lot of questions. I will give a general overview in terms of the election integrity p…

Specifically on the point in respect of public consultation, recommendation No. 39 that came from the pre-legislative scrutiny arose out of engagement. There was extensive engagement.

Is the Senator referring to amendment No. 1, relating to the electoral period?

The definition of the election campaign period is here. It is such period, including an electoral period, as may be prescribed by the commission by order from time to time and in relation to any election or referendum commencing on a date before an impending election or referendum, and ending on polling day at the time at which the polls close, which dates shall be set out in the notice published by the commission, in such a manner as it thinks fit, not less than seven days before the earlier date or the period com…

Extensive public consultation took place at the PLS stage. I think that the Oireachtas joint committee went above and beyond in its efforts to engage with civil society organisations. It was an important part of that process and the recommendation around these measures came specifically from the PLS report.

Does the Senator mean political advertisements that are not related to an election?

Again, it is down to the commission to determine that. If the political advertisement is not related to a specific election or referendum period, then I think that it falls outside the scope of this provision.

Senator Kyne expressed his concern about the protection of political parties. The overall thrust of this Bill is to protect the integrity of the electoral system, including political parties. The Bill seeks to support political parties to be in a space where they can be active and campaign in a manner that is appropriate while allowing them the space to campaign on their issues specifically for elections. In that regard, the Bill and the establishment of the commission to oversee electoral processes, and the integr…

I support what both of the Senators said. I reiterate that this provision is not about legitimate forms of advertising. It is about disinformation and misinformation specifically during an election period. A complementary piece of work is being done on the online space. In terms of a broader approach to the establishment of the commission, and the commission's role in strengthening the democratic processes, including public participation, awareness and inclusion in the political system in a broader sense, over time…