I welcome the reports in today’s newspapers that the Government will introduce legislation to extend the right to vote in Seanad elections for the university panel seats at least, and that we will see an expansion of the electorate for the six university seats to cover all third level graduates in the various institutions across the State.

It was Senator Terry Leyden's Bill.

All of us on the university panel have always called for such an extension. When the Taoiseach was in the House speaking on Seanad reform in the aftermath of the referendum he gave a commitment in that regard. It is most welcome to see today's newspaper reports that the Government is now considering a Bill to extend the university franchise.

It is a step on the way to ensuring we see reform of the Seanad through legislation. We should have another debate on this in the new year. I hope we will and that at that point we will see more concrete proposals coming forward, not just from the Government but from all parties. We already have two Private Members' Bills which have passed Second Stage in this House and which provide for reforms through legislation. I would welcome further debate on the issue that would look at the sort of concrete reforms we can make through legislation. I welcome the reports on the expansion of the university electorate, which is hugely important. It is great to see the institutes of technology, the DIT and the other institutes, becoming part of the electorate. The DIT graduates had a vote for the university seats for some years, prior to it getting the right to award its own degrees. Therefore, it is not true to say no institute of technology graduates were represented in the Seanad. The three of us here from the University of Dublin represent some DIT graduates. It is great to see the expansion of the vote to all third level institutions.

I also welcome the CSO data published today, which shows an increase of 58,000 people at work over the past year and a rise in employment of 3.2%. This small rise is welcome, but must be taken with caution. The data also shows a parallel decrease in the unemployment rate, from 13.6% to 12.8% in the last quarter. This is welcome. It is particularly welcome that long-term unemployment has reduced. Will the Leader arrange a debate in the new year on the unemployment data and the measures we can take to allow this pattern continue?

The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, has promised to bring before us her implementation plan for the youth guarantee before Christmas and we will debate job creation in that context. However, we should have an opportunity in the new year to debate job creation, in particular the sort of measures and policies that can be implemented by the State in this regard. The Minister has spoken of the role the family income supplement can play in helping people return to work, by allowing a top-up payment to employees on low pay with children to ease the transition from welfare to employment. Currently, more than 40,000 working families are covered by the scheme. This is the sort of scheme that can assist in helping people return to work and we could usefully debate this in the new year.

I too welcome the announcement of the Bill relating to Seanad reform, but it is only a small step. When the Taoiseach was in this House, he said there would be a meeting with leaders on reform, but I have not heard of any date for that meeting. Will the Leader advise us on whether a date has been set for that meeting? The people voted and gave us a mandate and we now need to see reform. We need to see all Senators involved in that debate.

I wish to raise again the issue of the Bill to deal with smoking in cars with children. I am not happy with the answers we have received on this. I do not believe there is an any real block, other than the lack of political will to move forward on the Bill. Senators Crown, Daly and I have put considerable effort into a Bill. Will the Leader advise us when the Minister for Health will be able to bring to us the amendments he would like to see?

In regard to youth unemployment, Senator Bacik mentioned the debate on the youth guarantee. We have yet to receive a date for that debate, although the time is fast approaching for Ireland to submit its plan to the European Union. One of the small concessions we won in the Seanad when we debated the Social Welfare Bill was that we would have this debate on the youth guarantee. Will the Leader advise us whether the Minister, Deputy Burton, has given us a date for that debate? Many of the organisations involved, who are in contact with various Senators, await that debate so that we can give voice to and articulate their views in regard to the proposals to be put forward to the European Union in Ireland's name.

I also give a ritual welcome to the idea of reforming the Seanad. However, during the referendum campaign the Government showed an extraordinary degree of cynicism and dishonesty. I do not believe the leopard changes its spots much. I have always called for the expansion of the electorate for the university seats, but we were told during the referendum campaign that none of us ever did. We need to look at the implications of expansion of the electorate. There are already approximately 200,000 voters in the combined university electorate. This will increase to 500,000. That is fine, but there must be an accurate register or the system will not work.

It will mean young candidates will have very little chance because high-profile candidates in a six-seater constituency will have a much greater chance of getting in. There will be a question of funding. Printing 500,000 leaflets is an onerous financial task for young people. It took me ten years and six elections to get in and I had an overdraft which I could hardly bear. We should be facilitating young people in getting into the Seanad. For example, all graduates of Trinity College Dublin have retained their @tcd.ie e-mail address. This is a cheap and easy way for candidates to communicate with their electorate.

We have been calling for the reform of the university seats for a long time. I have been in this House for 26 years and the only target of reform has been the university seats. We need real reform to include the other seats. The only democratic element, which has 200,000 voters, will increase to 500,000 voters while the political panels, in the control of the political parties, will have their vote base reduced from 1,000 to 500 because of the diminution this wonderfully democratic Government is inflicting on local authority membership. On the one hand, we are having this vast increase in the electorate for the universities and, on the other, a comparable decrease in the electorate of local authority members. That is not democracy. That is the kind of slyness and hypocrisy about which I spoke earlier.

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

Yes. I am calling for a debate on this. There should be some degree of finance available to young Seanad candidates. I believe young people who run for the Seanad, whether they are successful or not, and who reach a certain number of votes should get some recompense in these difficult days. I put this down as an amendment to a Bill recently but it was thrown out.

The Senator is over his time.