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Dáil
‹ Order of Business

Presidential eligibility age Bill

Summary

Peter Mathews criticised prioritising a Bill lowering the presidential candidacy age while poverty, housing and health problems persisted; the Ceann Comhairle ruled the matter inadmissible on the Order of Business.

Last Friday, late in the afternoon, the Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Age of Eligibility for Election to the Office of President) Bill 2015 arrived on our desks. Is the Taoiseach serious about this when there are 140,000 children living below the poverty line? Is he serious when there are 19,000 families on housing waiting lists, 40,000 deeply distressed mortgages and hospital waiting lists of over two years in the public health system? Is he serious about spending time to debate reducing the age of eligibility to stand for the presidency to 21 years of age?

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Seán Barrett An Ceann Comhairle Fine Gael

We cannot deal with this matter on the Order of Business.

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The Taoiseach should read the newspapers. Is he out of touch?

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