Senator Dearey Argues for Electoral System Reform

During his statement on the Four Year Plan in Seanad Eireann yesterday, Senator Mark Dearey argued for the need for a far greater level of relevant expertise within government departments.

In particular, he said questions about the capacity of the Department of Finance have been raised by the unfolding events of the past two years. "As political representatives we are by definition ‘generalists'. The counterbalance to this in the decision-making process is that suitably qualified and experienced people in the public service are advising on an on-going basis."

Senator Dearey went on to say that economic failure due to lax regulation and poor policy-making also constitutes a political failure and that the case for introducing a partial list system in a General Election is at this stage compelling. "What a list system allows voters to do is to nominate a party from which they wish a political representative to be drawn. It is a way of ensuring that by way of political appointment the Oireachtas can be populated by people with very significant expertise in finance, in enterprise and in a range of other disciplines and would in my view, greatly enhance the quality of decision-making and the general public's fait in the political process to do the right thing. "

The Senator said he intends to raise the matter with the Minister for the Environment at the first opportunity.