Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guest and thank him for his dissertation on the European elections. I hope that in the run-up to the elections, the general public will be informed of the importance of these elections in terms of the economic benefits accruing to this country and to Europe generally. It would be useful to compare income per capitain 1989 or 1990 for countries in the EU, countries in the European Free Trade Area and the United States with today's incomeper capitadata. Ireland is one of the top performers, despite the crash and everything that went with it. I hope that such data will be included in any information made available to the public and that it will be in readable form and readily accessible. I agree entirely with Mr. Temple-Smithson that there is nothing to beat a leaflet or poster with general information to galvanise voters.

There is a particular interest in encouraging younger voters to participate. I was disappointed to note the lack of interest among younger voters compared with the UK, for example, where the younger voters were the ones who took the interest in future membership of the European Union when the older voters did not. It seems to be the opposite in this country, which should not be the case, particularly when we have such large a young population compared with other countries. Does Mr. Temple-Smithson feel there is anything that could encourage the younger voter from the perspective of an investment in their future and the benefits apart from the participating in the democratic process generally but from deciding in this democratic process now for their benefit and for that of the country.

Finally, not all countries are voting on the same day. Why is that?