Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have two questions and they overlap in both the witnesses' areas of responsibility. I will address my first question to Mr. O'Leary. It relates to the Electoral Commission's research consultation. We know from the Department's submission that the programme for Government contains commitments in the context of examining a number of issues. We know this anyway, but the Department has decided to tell us again today. The issues to be examined are: examining the Scottish experience and reducing the voting age; the use of posters in elections and referenda; the use of postal voting with a view to extending it; the replacement of by-elections with an alternative list system - interestingly, by-elections seem to be definitely on the way in a matter of months; and the limitations on people who are temporarily living outside the State as to the amount of time they should remain on the electoral register. These commitments are in the programme for Government. Clearly, the function of the Department is to drive Government policy in conjunction with the relevant Ministers.

Will Mr. O'Leary share with the committee what he has done on that matter to date, or if he has initiated anything? There may be an overlap, clearly, with the commission's work. Is it a given for Mr. O'Leary in terms of the Electoral Commission? This is the Government's stated policy. Of course, the Government has a lot of stated policy but it does not necessarily see it all through. I have yet to see any programme for Government that delivered 80% of its programme, not to mention 100%. Has the Government a particular fast track into the commission's system or is it in the pool like everybody else? I do not know, and I want to clarify that. The two questions are the same, but they come at that matter from different angles. The commission clearly has a mandate to push on and not sit on its laurels within the Department. It is working to a Government programme. The commission is established, and it may not see that order of events as being a priority. Does the commission have that discretion or is it effectively mandated by Government? Before I finish, I will touch on an election which we have not really spoken about at all. I refer to the Seanad election.