Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry I had to leave the committee briefly. I would have liked to hear everything the delegates had to say. I wish to raise a few issues. There has been a significant concentration on the electoral register. Unlike some of the previous speakers, who are concerned that people could have nine votes, I am trying to get votes for the people I represent, because one in four people in my constituency, Dublin West, are from outside Ireland. In the most recent referendum, young people did not have to be persuaded to vote when they had something to vote for that they cared about.

Many European people who are married to Irish people and who have been living here for a long time had no vote in the referendum, although they would have liked to have a vote and should have had one. I am more concerned about that than I am about citizens abroad. In my area, the big problem is getting people on the register rather than getting them off it.

The Dáil and local authorities are not representative of the population. They are too old, too male and too pale. They certainly will not be helped if we have a register that does not reflect the reality of the changing Ireland. According to the National Youth Council of Ireland, 30% of 18 to 24 year olds are not registered. I believe the Union of Students in Ireland, which was before the committee last week, conducted a massive mass registration of young people for the referendum. These are serious issues that need to be looked at by the electoral commission. I do not know if our speakers have considered this but, as a result of the housing crisis - because the Government, in the main, is not building local authority houses - and homelessness, every time a person moves, he or she must go to the Garda station and get re-registered. I faced this issue last year. A range of people in my constituency are homeless or have had to move because of rent increases. The rental sector makes up a massive proportion of the population. It is about 700,000 people. The electoral register is a significant issue.

We probably need an electoral commission for a longer period, because these issues will not be resolved if local authorities are working at different levels. I have some fears. Creating super-quangos is a problem. I would not like to see staff in local authorities losing their jobs, because they are generally decent jobs and there are few enough of those. Local authorities are being divested of all their responsibilities, from bin collection to water. There are no houses. I do not know what councillors actually do but I would not like to see councils losing more staff. I think that is a role that should be maintained.

We have spoken previously at the committee about judges and male academics. It does not have to be a retired judge who heads this up.

With regard to PPS numbers, I read what the Data Protection Commissioner had to say. Could the witnesses comment on how this could help? Without permanent storage, is there a way this can work? There is massive paranoia in society about PPS numbers, as we saw recently in respect of Irish Water. Once you mention PPS numbers, people go into freefall about it because of their distrust of the Government and the establishment. If this was implemented without proper safeguards, people would be very concerned about it. How could it be done?

It is ludicrous that so many young people are not registered when this could be done automatically upon reaching the age of 18. There are many people who become Irish citizens. I have attended ceremonies because I know a lot of people who have gone through the process. They should be handed a form to register that day. Instead, they do not even realise that they must upgrade their vote from local to general elections. They just think, "Oh, I'm an Irish citizen," but they are not on the register. Going around my area, I find it ludicrous. In one area, 51% of people are not Irish. You might as well throw the register out the window.

Registration of political parties is another thing that is listed as a possible function of the electoral commission. It should be easier for people to designate themselves in a certain way for the purpose of standing for election without necessarily having to establish a political party. In other countries, there are alliances of people for the purpose of elections. Otherwise, a person is designated as non-party. This is something that should be looked at, although I suspect it will not be looked at because it suits the current system to have two big parties and few small parties, although some of the big parties are becoming smaller and will continue to do so. It is linked to political reform. There is a list system in other countries. People can go on a list to stand for election. Being designated as non-party automatically deprives a person of identity, and this should be examined, because politics is changing in this country and people are more willing to look for alternative formations.