Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I concur with the points made by the Chairman. The voice of the citizen must be paramount in a democracy. A significant number of people feel disenfranchised at election time. I experienced this issue personally when I was abroad during a number of elections for which I would have liked my vote to have been counted. As a Legislature, we should ensure that a mechanism is established, where practicable, for people to make their voice heard by casting a vote. For this reason, it would be appropriate for the joint committee to refer the petitions to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and seek a statement on the matter from the Minister.