February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Fianna Fail’s current view has been outlined by Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen who has ruled out votes for emigrants in the Seanad (Senate).
However, Fine Gael wants three of the 60 seats in the upper house of the Oireachtas returned by Irish citizens living abroad.
Over 160 submissions have been received by a Seanad sub-committee examining the future role and functions of the upper house, but a spokesman said there had only been a small response from emigrant representatives around the world.
“There has been a surprisingly small number of submissions from emigrant groups. More had been expected but many of those who had made previous submissions didn’t do so this time,” said the spokesman.
In his submission, Cowen said that from the point of view of the Irish abroad, his view would be that the issue of votes for emigrants was “not a pressing matter.”
If the Irish abroad were to be given a voice in the Seanad, Cowen said, “it would be better to do so through the nomination of a person or persons with an awareness of emigrant issues, as proposed by the Committee on the Constitution, rather than by the election of a formal representative of the Diaspora.”
Cowen said the Emigrant Task Force – which last year presented the Irish government with a report on the state of immigrant communities in the U.S. Britain and Australia – found in its consultations with Irish communities abroad that it was notable that very few people raised the question of votes for emigrants.
“Indeed, a majority of those who expressed a view agreed that, given the numbers of Irish emigrants abroad and those born abroad entitled to Irish citizenship, it would be impractical and inappropriate to give the vote to emigrants,” the minister said.
However, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has responded to this position by coming out in favor of direct emigrant representation.
In outlining his party’s view of the Seanad’s future role in Irish political life, Kenny said that three Senators should in fact be elected by “overseas Irish citizens.”
The Fine Gael submission to the sub-committee is broadly in line with a 1996 consultation document – presented to the then “Rainbow” coalition government that included Fine Gael – that proposed Irish citizens living abroad for up to 20 years be entitled to elect three members to the Seanad.
A year later, Fianna F