Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Vice Chairman and the Minister. Much of what I intended to say has already been said and will be dealt with by the commission. In the context of boundaries, I come from a county where while one of my local councillors is a member of Meath County Council, when it comes to a general election, her constituents vote in the Louth area. I do not agree with this division. If someone is part of a particular county council, they should be part of the same area for a general election. This is an issue any commission should examine.

The register of electors is another issue. I often wonder why people are not automatically added to the register when they turn 18. Getting young people to register is a matter of getting them interacting with what is going on around them. I spend much of my time in secondary schools discussing with transition year and fifth and sixth year students the importance of voting. I try to help them understand the importance of voting and encourage interest in what happens here and how what we do relates to what they do and makes a difference. Education is a key issue and an electoral commission should focus on it.

The membership and independence of the commission is important. The Department and the Minister must take on responsibility for oversight of the commission, but the commission must maintain independence. I have read that in three out of four countries which have appointed members to a commission, they were not appointed by politicians. Who appoints them in such a case? Is the appointment made by a judge? How should we go about the process of appointment and what approach is the Minister leaning towards? What timeframe does the Minister envisage for the establishment of a commission? I know he has said he wants to push this forward as quickly as possible, but does he think it will take four years or longer or will it take a shorter time? I would welcome a commission, but it is important all the different factions come together under it.

There is also a question about the cost of establishing a commission.

Many different Departments, at local and national levels, play their part and a lot of the cost has been absorbed which we do not know about. Therefore, it is important we carry out a proper cost analysis of the initiative. I look forward to participating in the continuing discussion of this matter.