Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Gould. I might let Ms Woods take the issues of the voter registration. I agree wholeheartedly with the Deputy on voting in disadvantaged areas. There is a significant job of work to be done, not only by the commission but other actors, in terms of community development projects in public participation networks, PPNs, or local community development committees, LCDCs, at local authority level, and in the schools. There was some fantastic work done - I am not sure if it is still being done - by the Vincentian Partnership in terms of immigrants and voter education. We have a significant job of collective work to do. We as political representatives also have that responsibility to do that.

Deputy Gould makes a good point about registration events in supermarkets. It is fantastic to bring those type of activities out to the public where they can interface with local authorities or us, as political representatives. We have a significant collective role as politicians to do that as well. I would hope that the commission will lead on the research elements of the voter participation but, as I said, there is a collective role right across society to engage those hard-to-reach communities in the electoral processes.

I might ask Ms Woods to come in on those other issues that the Deputy raised.