Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Yes. I am conscious the research areas the Electoral Commission is going to work on may be important to a certain cohort of people but not to others. Some people may just not be concerned that they are now in a constituency with three, five or six seats. However, if you are a candidate in one of those areas, this is going to be of great interest. There is also the issue of posters. Some people do not mind postering at all. They like it. They like the sense of occasion it brings to the election. Other people I know are really concerned about the environmental waste from so much plastic and from cable ties. In the context of the Tidy Towns competition, we found cable ties that had been left up since the last election. There is also the road traffic aspect from the perspective of the splurge of postering that goes on.

I would not ban election posters at all - I think they raise awareness of an election - but we should curtail the amount of postering. I am of the view that something like 50 posters per municipal district, or something like 200 posters for a four-seater constituency and 250 posters for a five-seater constituency, is reasonable. If there is a level playing field like that, then every poster will have the same impact. There will be no need for candidates to put up five posters of their face on the same pole. I would love to see something coming forward quickly on this issue. One of the worst parts of any election is trying to put up election posters, and then take them down as well. Ask anyone. Senator Fitzpatrick wishes to come back in again.