Seanad Éireann

Composition

• Eleven appointed by the Taoiseach (prime minister).
• Six elected by the graduates of certain Irish universities:
• *Three by graduates of the National University of Ireland
• *Three by graduates of the University of Dublin (generally known as Trinity College, Dublin).
• Forty-three elected from five special panels of nominees by an electorate consisting of TDs (MPs), senators and local councillors. Each of the five panels consists, in theory, of individuals possessing special knowledge of, or experience in, one of five specific fields:
• *Education, the arts, the Irish language and Irish culture and literature.
• *Agriculture and the fisheries.
• *Labour (organised or otherwise).
• *Industry and commerce (including engineering and architecture).
• *Public administration and social services (including the voluntary sector).

Members of the 22nd Seanad (2002-present)

Powers

• In the event that a bill approved by Dáil Éireann has not received the assent of the Senate within ninety days the Dáil may, within a further 180 days, resolve that the measure is 'deemed' to have be approved by the Senate.
• A money bill, such as the budget, may be deemed to have been approved by the Senate after twenty-one days.
• In the case of an urgent bill, the time that must have expired before it can be deemed to have been approved by the Senate may be abridged by the Government, with the concurrence of the President (this does not apply to bills to amend the constitution, however).
• The fact that eleven senators are appointed by the Taoiseach usually ensures that the Government, which must have the support of the Dáil, also enjoys a majority in the Senate.

• The Senate may, by a resolution, ask the President to appoint a Committee of Privileges to adjudicate as to whether or not a particular bill is a money bill. The President may, however, refuse this request.
• If a majority of senators and at least one-third of the members of the Dáil present a petition to the President stating that a bill is of great 'national importance' the President can decline to sign the bill until it has been 'referred to the people'. This means that they can refuse to sign it until it has been approved either in an ordinary referendum or by the Dáil after it has reassembled after a general election.
  

  Activities

  
  Seanad Éireann adopts its own standing orders and appoints its president, known as the 'Cathaoirleach' (Chairperson), and a Leader of the Seanad. The Senate establishes its own standing committees and senators also participate, along with TDss (members of the Dáil) in joint committees of the Oireachtas. A maximum of two senators may be ministers in the Government. The Senate currently has three standing committees, one of which has two sub-committees:

• Committee of Selection
• Committee on Procedure and Privileges
• *Sub-Committee on Members Services
• *Sub-Committee on Seanad Reform
• Committee on Members' Interests of Seanad Éireann
  

  Historical origins

  Early precursors

  
  The first parliamentary upper house in Ireland was the House of Lords of the Parliament of Ireland. Like its British counter-part, this house consisted of hereditary nobles. After the abolition of the Irish Parliament under the Act of Union of 1800 no parliament existed in Ireland until the 20th century.

Free State Seanad Éireann (1922-1936)

The name Seanad Éireann was first used as the title of the upper house of the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State. The first Seanad consisted of a mixture of members appointed by the President of the Executive Council and members indirectly elected by the Dáil, and President W.T. Cosgrave agreed to use his appointments to grant extra representation to the state's Protestant minority. It was intended that eventually the entire membership of the Senate would be directly elected by the public but after only one election, in 1925, this system was abandoned in favour of a form of indirect election. The Free State Senate was abolished entirely in 1936.

Constitution of Ireland (1937-present)

The new system of vocational panels used to nominate candidates for the Senate was inspired by Roman Catholic social teaching of the 1930s, and in particular the 1931 papal encyclical Quadragesimo Anno. In this document Pope Pius XI argued that the Marxist concept of class conflict should be replaced with a vision of social order based on the cooperation and interdependence of society's various vocational groups.

Calls for reform

It has also become widely accepted that the system of vocational panels has not functioned as was originally intended. It is said that candidates seldom have any particular experience relevant to the panel from which they are elected and that, because, despite the vocational nomination process, it is politicians who actually elect the Senate, the election of most senators is an overtly political process dominated by party affiliation.

The universities have a long tradition of electing independent candidates. Nonetheless, many have argued that the system of university senators is elitist. Some, like the pressure group Graduate Equality, argue that the franchise for electing university senators should be extended to the graduates of all third level institutions. Others believe that this does not go far enough and that at least some portion of the Senate should be directly elected by all adult citizens. Calls have also been made for the Senate to be used to represent Irish emigrants or the people of Northern Ireland. In the past Taoisigh (prime ministers) have often used their nominations to appoint respected people from Northern Ireland, such as the late peace campaigner Gordon Wilson, and Seamus Mallon and Joe Hendron of the SDLP.

The precise composition of the Senate was originally fixed by the constitution. However in 1979 the Seventh Amendment was adopted. This empowered the Oireachtas to extend the franchise for the election of the six university senators to the graduates of additional institutions by ordinary legislation. The intention at the time was that all third level graduates would be given the right to vote in senatorial elections but to date no such provision has yet been made.

The most recent official report on Seanad reform was made in April 2004 by a Senate subcommittee, and there has been speculation that it has a better chance of success than many of its predecessors. The Report on Seanad Reform recommended no changes to the powers of the Senate. However it recommended that the vocational panels be abolished, that 32 seats should be filled by direct elections, that the franchise for electing university senators should be extended to all third level graduates, and that the Taoiseach should be formally required to use his nominees to represent Northern Ireland, the diaspora and marginalised groups. It also suggested that the senate be given new functions, such as a greater role scrutinising the Government and EU legislation.

Famous Irish senators