SEANAD NEWSLETTER Web: www.ivanabacik.com Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie Ivana Bacik @ivanabacik Phone: +353 1 618 3136
Welcome to the latest 2013 Newsletter from Senator Ivana Bacik. I am delighted and honoured to represent the Dublin University constituency in Seanad Éireann. I will also make sure to keep you up to date with the work that I am doing in the Seanad, and would be happy to raise issues there on your behalf. Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie Phone: 01 618 3136
Dear Graduate, Welcome to my latest Newsletter from the Seanad. I have been working hard to represent the graduates of Trinity College and the Dublin Institute of Technology since my re-election in April 2011, and will continue to do so, with your support. In the pages of this Newsletter, you will see details of the work I have been doing most recently in the Seanad, and the issues I have raised. I would of course be happy to raise any issues on your behalf in the Seanad. I also organise regular tours of Leinster House and again would be delighted to invite you to join us on one of those over the coming months. Do get in touch on ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie and thanks for your support.
Best wishes,
What’s inside... l l l l l l l l
Humanist Marriages Multi-Denominational Education Women’s Participation in Politics: Update Constitutional Convention ABC Judgment The Future of the Seanad Economic Situation Trinity News
Email me to arrange a tour of the Seanad and Leinster House. ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
I am delighted to invite graduates to join me online and I would encourage people to get involved! I update my website regularly and have transcripts of my Seanad contributions made available every week so that you can keep up with the work that I am doing on your behalf in the Seanad. I also update my Facebook and Twitter pages weekly. Please join me on: Web: www.ivanabacik.com Ivana Bacik @ivanabacik
Ivana with members of the Portobello Multi-Denominational School Group, Family Fun Day, Sept 2012
IVANA WELCOMES LAW TO LEGALISE HUMANIST MARRIAGES In November 2011, I initiated The Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill, which passed through the Seanad with unanimous support. I was delighted that my bill formed the basis for a Government bill which passed through all stages in the Dáil in December 2012, and has now become law. The Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2012 will for the first time legalise Humanist marriage ceremonies by amending the Civil Registration Act 2004. Until the passing of the Act, the only persons who could celebrate legal marriages were HSE Registrars and members of religious bodies – so this change will make a real difference to couples who wish to have a Humanist wedding.
Ivana with Minister Joan Burton and the Humanist Association celebrating the passage of the Humanist wedding bill through the Dáil, December 2012
The first legal Humanist wedding ceremonies are likely to take place in Spring/Summer 2013. This new law is a welcome step forward to a more inclusive and pluralist Republic.
EDUCATE TOGETHER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Ivana and other members of the Portobello Multi Denominational School Group meet with Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn.
In January 2013, I attended the first major public meeting of the Educate Together secondary school campaign in Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin. This was very well attended and shows the massive demand for a new multidenominational secondary school in Dublin. Change is already happening - it is great that Educate Together will be involved in the patronage of two second-level schools opening in 2013 and 2014 in Blanchardstown and Drogheda.
MULTIDENOMINATIONAL EDUCATION
SCHOOL PATRONAGE SURVEY
I have long been a critic of the dominance of the Catholic Church within our education system. Since the Church controls over 90% of primary schools nationally, very few parents have the opportunity to send their children to multi-denominational schools.
After the pilot phase looked at 5 initial areas in late 2012, the Department has since rolled it out to the balance of the 44 areas nationwide. The survey was completed on 8th February 2013. This represents a historic opportunity for parents to re-shape the primary school landscape for generations to come. For many parents this was the first time to be given a real say in the type of primary school they want – and again marks a move towards a more secular schooling system.
In 2010, as one of a group of local parents in the Dublin 8 area, we formed the Portobello Multi-Denominational School start-up group, to bring about the provision of extra multi-denominational primary school places in Dublin 6, 8 and 12. I am now Chair of the group, which has more than 800 members; and we have joined the Educate Together movement – see www.portobellomds.org. We look forward to the establishment of a new school in our area for September 2013. See www.portobellomds.org
In October 2012, the Department of Education launched a pilot survey to examine patronage and pluralism in the primary sector. As part of this initiative, parents in a number of selected areas were asked what patrons they would like to see running their local primary schools.
WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS The February 2011 general election generated the highest proportion of women TDs ever, with the election of 25 women (15% of the 166 seats), but women’s representation in parliament in Ireland remains remarkably low. According to the IPU, Ireland currently occupies only 89th position (www.ipu.org), well below the EU average. In 2009, I produced a report on women’s participation in politics for the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Law Reform. This clearly showed that positive action measures are necessary in order to increase the levels of women’s political participation in Ireland. The report recommended that political parties should be obliged by legislation to take gender balance into account in selecting candidates for local, general and European elections. Following this, the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 has been passed and provides that parties will have their state funding halved if they do not have at least 30% women and 30% men candidates at the next Dáil general election. This will rise to 40% after seven years. I am delighted that this has now become law. For updates about women in politics in Ireland, see: www.ivanabacik.com/women-in-politics-sub-committee
Ivana speaking on women’s participation in politics and law, NI Law Society Conference, Titanic Building, Belfast 2012
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION 2013 The Constitutional Convention promised in the Programme for Government will review a range of constitutional reform issues, including the issue of reform of the Oireachtas, the removal of the outdated references to women in the home from the Constitution, and the continued existence of the constitutional offence of blasphemy. The Convention will work throughout 2013 and will make recommendations to government as to the need for a referendum on some or all of these issues. I am the leader of the Labour delegation to the Convention, and look forward to working towards the introduction of a more secular Constitution – a document that truly reflects the laws and ethos of a democratic republic.
ABC CASE ON ABORTION In December 2012, the Government announced that legislation and regulations would be introduced in 2013 to implement the X case decision. This followed the Expert Group report on the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the ABC case. In ABC, the European Court required greater clarity in Irish law on abortion. It was always clear that the best way to do this would be through passing legislation to ensure that the right to a life-saving abortion is put into effect.
Ivana with Dr. Aleida Guevara, daughter of Che Guevara, during her visit to Leinster House, September 2012. Photo: Ann Lane
Ivana carrying the leading banner at March for Choice, in Dublin, September 2012
I am delighted that the Government has finally committed to introducing this now, as Labour has recommended for years. The legislation will be passed in 2013. It is clear from recent opinion polls that a majority of people want to see abortion legalised on a wider range of grounds. I will continue to push for pro-choice laws that provide for the real reproductive health needs of women in Ireland.
NEWS FROM
TRINITY NEW BUILDINGS There have been a number of new buildings opened on the TCD campus in the last few years, two of which are worthy of specific mention for those who have not yet seen them. The first is the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute which is based on Pearse Street. This remarkable building is 11 stories high, and creates a space for both academic activity and public interaction. The scale of the building is also something that is not paralleled on campus, and shows the confidence of the university in challenging times. The second new addition worthy of note is the newly opened Long Room Hub, which is nestled between the Arts Building and the 1937 Reading Room, on the edge of Fellow’s Square. The Long Room Hub is TCD’s Arts and Humanities Research Institute, but it is also a place for bringing ideas together and creating dialogue. The building is an impressive testament to that ethos.
PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES 2013 – LONG ROOM HUB Between January –June 2013, the Long Room Hub has organised a very exciting public lecture series to mark the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Euro-Visions Public Lecture Series on Europe will cover topics as diverse as constructing a history of Irish children’s literature, to issues of time and temperance in conflict and peace. The lectures are free and everyone is welcome to attend. To read more about the series, see www.tcd.ie/longroomhub/events/forthcoming
THE FUTURE OF THE SEANAD The government has committed to holding a referendum on abolition of the Seanad in 2013. I have argued that fundamental reform of the Seanad would be preferable to abolition because the retention of a bicameral system would ensure continued extra checks and balances in our democracy. But I believe strongly in the need for comprehensive changes to be made to the Seanad, to make it more democratic and effective. For example, worthwhile reforms proposed by the All-Party Committee on Seanad Reform in 2004 include: l Expansion of the electorate for the University panels to include other third-level
institutions; l Reform of the Seanad vocational panel electoral process to remove party
political patronage and give citizens a real voice in who is elected. With these and other changes, the Seanad could become a more democratic and representative structure and could play a more effective role in our legislative process. Flawed though it is, the Seanad has however served a vital function over the years, not only in providing higher levels of legislative scrutiny, but also in operating as a forum for expressing progressive a radical views which would not have had an airing otherwise in the Oireachtas. This debate is likely to continue throughout 2012 and 2013!
THE ECONOMIC SITUATION The focus of political debate since the February 2011 general election has been the economic crisis, rising unemployment figures and increased levels of emigration. Despite some improvements negotiated by the new Government in 2012 under the IMF/EU/ECB ‘bailout’ deal, Budget 2013 was again very difficult. However, the hard Irish budgetary decisions have been overshadowed by the ongoing crisis at EU level. The flawed economic policies of the previous government, in particular the disastrous bank guarantee of September 2008, have brought about the loss of Irish economic sovereignty – the priority for all working in politics must be to restore economic growth and bring about a return of our own control over the national finances. This requires our continued commitment to working within the EU to maintain confidence in the Eurozone. Winning the EU Stability Treaty Referendum in May 2012 was a key step forward, and I was proud to have played an active part in that campaign in Dublin South-East. The winding up of the IBRC (formerly Anglo-Irish Bank) in a very speedy move in February 2013 was another important step in our journey to economic recovery - I greatly welcome that, and the renegotiation of the promissory notes deal that has followed.
THE SCIENCE GALLERY This year has been hugely successful for the recently established Science Gallery located at the corner of Pearse Street and Westland Row at the Naughton Institute. The aim of the Gallery has been to open science up to passionate debate, and their 2013 programme promises to do just that! Future exhibitions cover ideas as wide-ranging as Illusion, Risk, and Living Machines. There’s a lovely coffee shop there too, and plenty for all the family to see and do. See sciencegallery.com Ivana with President Michael D Higgins and Sabina Higgins. Photo: Ann Lane
CONTACT SENATOR IVANA BACIK Seanad Eireann, Leinster House, Dublin 2 Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie Phone: +353 1 618 3136 Web: www.ivanabacik.com
Ivana Bacik @ivanabacik
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