Ms Fiona Quinn:

I thank the members for their questions. I will let Mr. Ryan deal with some of the issues. On the register, we accept certainly that it could be improved. That is why we are promoting this significant project and dedicating resources to it. On people coming on and off the register, Mr. Ryan will be able to talk to the committee as he engages on an ongoing basis with local authorities. It is a local authority function to manage the register. Local authorities take whatever they feel are the necessary steps to do so. That includes going door-to-door where necessary. I cannot confirm that it happens all over the country, but it certainly happens. From my own experience, they have certainly called to my door in the past few months. From all of our perspectives, there is an onus on individuals to ensure their information on the register is up to date. We do not have any significant indications that there are problems with fraud. The electoral register and the process are well respected and generally held in high regard in Ireland. If someone behaves in a fraudulent manner, it is an offence and he or she should be prosecuted. It is important that those mechanisms are utilised by people who have that information. From our point of view, it is not a significant issue.

In particular, the fact that unique identifiers are not attached to people's information can lead to duplication on the register. That does not necessarily mean people will behave in a fraudulent manner in voting. We do not have any significant evidence to support that.

Some of the options we outlined in the consultation will look at trying to address some of these matters so the position can improve and it becomes a more up-to-date and efficient method of managing that information. If we are looking at data sharing and somebody is deceased, for example, it should be possible for us to consider trying to get that information, which another element of the State already holds, to update the register automatically. I know it can upset people if they receive voting cards for somebody who is deceased. It is an important activity that we can certainly consider. The point on older people refers to something else I mentioned. We absolutely recognise that whereas many young people in particular are very interested in managing their information online and in a timely fashion, perhaps logging in on their phone at any point to update their address if they need to, there is another cohort of people who have voted throughout their life and we must ensure we provide for them in whatever system we set up going forward.

From our perspective and the discussions we have with local authorities, it seems people are not taken off the register without a number of steps being involved in the process. Mr. Ryan can go into a little more detail about that.