Why 51 per cent of the population is counting on Bobby Molloy

How do members of the 21st Dail rate in their attitudes to women? Mary Holland examines a recent survey and comes up with some surprising answers.

WELL, IT looks as though it's all down to Bobby Molloy now. According to a recent survey, the Minister of Defence emerges as the only member of Jack Lynch's cabinet with consistently progressive views on the important issues which affect women in Ireland. Replying to questions on such thorny subjects as divorce, contraception, family law reform Mr. Molloy scored 28% out of a possible 30, the highest score of any TD in the new Dail, and a dramatic contrast to almost all of his cabinet collleagues.

When it became clear towards the end of last year that a general election was in the offing the Women's Political Association drew up a detailed and searching questionnaire on women's rights in Ireland. It was divided into five sections dealing with women in public life, family law, the home, employment and social welfare. This was sent to all TDs and senators. Over half the TDs replied, a remarkably high response for a complicated and politically controoversial questionnaire of this kind. This may have been because a general election was coming up, or it may have been to do with the determination of the WPA, which harassed the deputies fairly steadily for their replies. But it does seem that a lot of TDs took the subject seriously enough to give considerable time and thought to their replies. Given that 51 per cent of the electorate are women, this shouldn't be so pathetically surprising. But it is.

Of the TDs questioned, over 70 per cent were re-elected last June. An examination of their replies provides an illuminating view of the new Dail's attitudes to women's rights and the importance that individual deputies attach to them. Of particular interest are those ministers who control those departments which most affect the conndition of women in Ireland - Health and Social Welfare, Justice, Education and Labour. The WPA survey was sent to all four. Charles Haughey did not reply. Neither did Gerry Collins, John Wilson or Gene Fitzgerald. At the time the questionnaire was sent out Gene Fitzgerald was Fianna Fail's spokesman on Women's Affairs.

Nor need Irish women look with much hope to the Fianna Fail women, despite the publicity that has surrounded them, to further their cause. The party had two women 'IDs and one senator in the last Oireachtas. None of them replied to the questionnaire, in contrast to the women representatives of other parties who all responded. Two of these Fianna Fail women, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn and Kit Ahern, are back in the new Dail. The appointment of Mrs. GeoghegannQuinn as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry has been widely greeted in the media as a triumph for women.

The WPA questionnaire was sent out in December 1976. It was followed by two written reminders to the home addresses of 'IDs. This was accompanied by a certain amount of unashamed armmtwisting by individual members of the WPA and discreet reminders that 51 per cent of Irish voters were women. The point was well taken and it soon became clear that both the major parties were aware of the political implications of the survey. Many of the questions were deeply controversial and any answers to them were likely to please some women voters and alienate others.

Fianna Fail, in particular, was alive to this. When the questionnaire first arrived on TDs' desks Jack Lynch was in hospital recovering from a leg injury. Six members of the Party responded with commenddable speed and their replies had already been sent off by the time Mr. Lynch was back at work. These included Bobby Molloy, whose alacrity may have been not wholly unconnected with an unncomfortable awareness that Maire Geoghegan-Quinn could pose a threat in his West Galway constituency. Still, his answers showed discrimination and political courage and at no stage did he try to go back on them.

Mr Lynch immediately called a series of meetings of the Oireachtas party to discuss the questionnaire. The result was a standard Fianna Fail response which 'IDs were commended to use. It wasn't bad, considering. There were 29 quesstions in the WPA survey. Each positive answer scored 1 mark. In addition, anyyone who went to the trouble to send in a reply was given one mark for effort, making a total possible score of 30. The official Fianna Fail response scored 18. As a party Fianna Fail was positive on the role of women in public life; was prepared to consider changes in family law affecting women and children, inncluding free legal aid for family cases and the need for children's courts. It believed in equal job opportunities for women and thought they should get the same social benefits as men, including unemployment benefit for school leavers. It was against a referendum on divorce, any change in the tax position of married women, and equivocal on the issue of family planning. This standard reply was sent in by 18 'IDs including, among the present cabinet, Jack Lynch, Des O'Malley and Brian Lenihan. This meant that 24 Fianna Fail 'IDs made some reply to the questionnaire out of a possible 55, the lowest proportionately of any party. One deputy, Timothy o 'Connor, refused, with an eloquent resume of his views on the role of women in 'Catholic Ireland '.

Fine Gael also drew up a standard party response, later in the day than Fianna Fail. At the time the party was in power and optimistic about being reeelected. Perhaps because of that the party's collective response to questions was much more guarded and considerably more magisterial in tone. There was a distinctly impatient tinge of 'Y our government knows best' and a reluctance to commit the party on even relatively uncontroversial issues. The areas of equality where Fine Gael did respond positively were employment opportunity and social welfare. As a party Fine Gael scored 10% out of a possible maximum of 30, but there was evidence that not all 'IDs were happy with this response. As one might have expected, a far greater number of Fine Gael 'IDs decided to reply on a personal basis, 22 in all. Their scores ranged from a low of 7% for Paddy Harte to. a hopeful 24 for Garret FitzzGerald. The new party leader thought the questionnaire 'very useful', but addmonished the WPA that 'it should not be used in a counterproductive way as a means of attacking politicians'. One can only hope that they will take no notice.

The Labour Party, both in terms of the numbers who replied and what they said, was way ahead of the other two. All those Labour 'IDs who did respond had scores up in the twenties, including John O'Connell (28), Michael O'Leary (25), Barry Desmond (26). But there were some surprising, not to say deepressing, omissions. Frank Cluskey did not reply. Neither did Brendan Corish. Neither did John Horgan, a new TD who holds his seat in South County Dublin courtesy of transfers from feminist Nuala Fennell.

The questionnaire was long and commplicated, particularly ~n matters of law (do you know offhand what the tori: of 'criminal conversation' is and whether it should be removed from our law") A good number of 'IDs took it seriously and worked out their answers with care. It is unlikely that, even five years ago, over half the 'IDs in the Dail would have bothered. Give it another five years and we may get a reply from Messrs. Haughey, Colley, Collins and Fitzgerald.

 
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Tim O'Connor Fianna Fail:

'In my own county the women are doing a great job of work in keeping their homes going and bringing up their families. This I think is just what Almighty God intended them to do. After all they are by and large the commmanding officers in the house and long may they retain that role.'

Garret Fitzgerald Fine Gael:

'I think the questionnaire is extremeely useful... It would be important, howwever, that it should not be used in a counter-productive way as a means of attacking politicians.'

Paddy Power Fianna Fail
'Frankly any letter such as yours which in fact threatens a sitting TD with publicity during an election cammpaign makes my hackles rise. Constittuents of mine know me and know my form.'

Michael O'Leary Labour:
'Unfortunately, as you know; Women have been the voting fodder of conserrvative forces in our Society in every ellection since the state was established.'

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HOW THEY RATED

94 TDs and 5 Senators from the last Oireachtas are now members of the new Dail. They all received the WPA questionnaire on Women's Rights. We give below scores out of a maximum of 30. 0 = no reply, S = standard party reply, R = refused.

Kit Ahern (FF) North Kerry   0   
Lorcan Allen (FF) Wexford   18S   
David Andrews (FF) Dun Laoghaire   18S   
Sylvester Barrett (FF) Clare   0   
Minister for the Environment     
Peter Barry (FG) Cork City   0   
Richard Barry (FG) North-East Cork   13   
Michael Begley (FG) South Kerry   0   
Luke Belton (FG) Dublin, Finglas   10 1/2 S   
Joseph Bermingham (Lab) Kildare   28   
Neal Blaney(lnd) Donegal   0   
Joseph Brennan (FF) Donegal   0   
Cheann Comhairle     
Ben Briscoe(FF) Dublin Rathmines   0   
Sean Brosnan (FF) North East Cork   0   
Noel Browne(lnd) Dublin Artane   21 3/4   
Sean Browne (FF) Wexford   18S   
Leas Cheann Comha irle     
John Bruton (FG) Meath   10 1/2 S   
Joan Burke (FG) Roscommon Leitrim   18 1/2   
Raphael Burke (FF) North County Dublin   0   
Hugh Byrne(FG) Dublin Cabra   25   
Joan Callanan (FF) EastGalway   18S   
Sean Callery (FF) East Mayo   18S   
Mark Clinton (FG) Vvest County Dublin   0   
Frank Cluskey (Lab) Dubl in South Central   0   
Leader of the La bou r Party     
GeorgeColley(FF) DublinClontarf   0   
Tanaiste, Minister for Finance arid     
Minister for the Public Service     
Edward Collins (FG) Waterford   183,4   
Gerry Collins (FF) West Limerick   0   
Minister for Justice     
John Conlon (FG) Cavan Monaghan  10 1/2 S   
Gerard Connolly (FF) Laois Offaly   0   
BrendanCorish (Lab) Wexford   0   
LiamCosgrave (FG) Dun Laoghaire   0   
Donal Creed (FG) Mid Cork   15  
Jerry Cronin (FF) North East Cork   0   
Kieran Crotty (FG) Carlow Kilkenny   R   
Brendan Daly(FF) Clare   0  
Noel Davern (FF) South Tipperary   0   
Barry Desmond (Lab) Dun Laoghaire   26   
Vivion deValera(FF) Dublin Cabra   0   
Patrick Donegan (FG) Louth   0   
John Donnellan (FG) East Ga Iway   14 3/4   
Thomas Enright (FG) LaoisOffaly   19   
Jackie Fahey (FF) Waterford   0   
Joseph Farrell (FF) Louth   0   
Padraig Faulkner (FF) Louth   0   
Minister for Transport and   
Posts and Telegraphs.     
Garrett Fitzgerald (FG) Dublin South East   24   
Leader of Fine Gael   
Gene Fitzgerald (FF) Mid Cork   0   
Minister for Labour   
Tom Fitzpatrick (FF) Dublin South Central   0   
Oliver Flanagan (FG) LaoisOffaly   10 1/2 S   
Sean French (FF) Cork City   0  
Denis Gallagher (FF) West Mayo   0   
Minister for the Gaeltacht     
Maire Geoghegan Quinn (FF) West Ga Iway   0   
James Gibbons (FF) Carlow Kilkenny   0   
Minister for Agriculture     
Eugene Gilhawley (FG) Sligo Leitrim   15 3/4   
Brendan Griffin (FG) South Tipperary   0   
Patrick Harte (FG) Donegal   7 3/4  
Charles Haughey (FF) DublinArtane   0   
Minister for Health and Social Welfare     
Michael Herbert (FF) Limerick East   0   
John Horgan (Lab) South County Dublin   0   
Thomas Hussey (FF) East Ga Iway   18S   
Liam Kavanagh (Lab) Wicklow   26 3/4   
John Kelly (FG) South County Dublin   20 1/2   
William Kenneally (FF) Waterford   0   
Enda Kenny(FG) West Mayo   11 3/4   
Patrick Lalor(FF) LaoisOffaly   0   
Brian Lenihan (FF) WestCounty Dublin   18S   
Minister for Fisheries     
James Leonard (FF) Cavan Monaghan   0   
GerryL'Estrange (FG) Longford Westmeath   0   
William Loughnane (FF) WestGalway   19   
Jack Lynch (FF) Cork City   18S   
Taoiseach     
Thomas McEllistrim (FF) North Kerry   0   
Larry McMahon (FG) MidCounty Dublin   10   
Ray McSharry(FF) Sligo Leitrim   0   
Tom Meaney(FF) Mid Cork   18S   
Robert Molloy (FF) West Galway   28 3/4   
Sean Moore (FF) Dublin South East   18S   
Ciar.an Murphy (FF) Wicklow   18S   
Michael Pat Murphy (Lab) South West Cork   0   
Thomas Nolan (FF) Carlow Kilkenny   18S   
Michael Noonan (FF) West Limerick   18S   
Fergus O'Brien (FG) Dublin SouthCentral   17 1/2   
John O'Connell (Lab) Dubl i n Ballyfermot   28   
Tom O'Donnell (FG) Li merick East   10 1/2 S   
MichaeIO'Kennedy(FF) North Tipperary   18S   
Minister for Foreign Affairs     
John O'Leary (FF) South Kerry   18S   
Michael O'Leary (Lab) Dublin NorthCentral   25   
DesmondO'Malley(FF) Limerick East   18S   
Minister for Industry and Commerce     
Seamus Pattison (Lab) Carlow Kilkenny   24 3/4   
Patrick Power (FF) Ki Idare   18S   
Ruari Quinn (Lab) Dublin South East   26   
John Ryan (Lab) North Tipperary   29   
RichieRyan(FG) Dublin Rathmines   lOV2S   
Joe Sheridan (I nd) Longford Westmeath   18 3/4   
Dan Spring(Lab) North Kerry   0   
FrankTaylor(FG) Clare   0   
GodfreyTimmins (FG) Wicklow   10 3/4   
James Tully (Lab) Meath   0   
JimTunney(FF) Dublin Finglas   0   
James White (FG) Donegal   0   
John Wilson (FF) Cavan Monaghan   0   
Minister for Education     
Pearse Wyse (FF) Cork City   0