Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I worked with Mr. Dolan for four years when he was a Senator. He was a great advocate and I have great admiration for him. I remember Mr. Dolan talking to me about what he called the "small thing" of the wheelchair bays outside the parking bays. He got those installed because he highlighted the issue and worked on it. I remember him telling me that a wheelchair bay is a big thing for someone with a disability. Unless people are in that situation, they will not realise that we need to address issues like these.

I recently met some people with acquired brain injuries. As a politician, I felt I had a lack of information but I also felt that I could do more to help them, be it through funding or other means.

I visited the Irish Wheelchair Association in Carlow where I met a group of 12 people. I listened to the issues they raised, which was very important for me. Transport came up as a huge issue. Many people cannot get transport to a centre or to visit friends or relatives. It then crossed my mind that it must be even harder for them if they have to go into a polling booth to vote because, again, transport is needed. We need to address this issue. We have to look at how we can make access easier for people with a disability.

We only visit our local polling stations during council, European or general elections. The staff in my area in Carlow are excellent. Perhaps it would be a good idea to have one designated person in each polling station to work with people with a disability. They could help people with visual or auditory disabilities or those who are wheelchair users.

The people manning the polling booths go there when there are elections and they do a good job. However, our society is changing. Twenty years ago, I would know almost everyone who came into the polling station. I could greet someone and ask how they were and I would know the family as well. We are in a different world now. The most recent census results showed that Carlow is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland and that the population of the town had really grown, increasing by 9%, which was really good. There are 62,000 people in County Carlow. I also have to say that Kilkenny city has a smaller population than Carlow town. We have more people in Carlow town. I will be looking for city status for Carlow.

Given how much things have changed, it is important that the commission goes with the times.

We need to go with the times and make those changes. I am wondering what sort of funding will be put in place, because we all work through our local authorities. It is important things are accessible and there is someone there to help. As I said, the people could not be nicer and kinder, but we need to change that a little.

I recently visited a school. Mr. O'Leary spoke about people voting from age 16 and 17 and then they automatically go on the register at 18. This time it was groundbreaking because people did not have to go to the Garda or a peace commissioner. Once people were there, they could fill in the form. Online was the biggest thing for the school. It was an all-girls school with more than 1,000 students and it was online. Every one of them was able to go online within two seconds and go on the list to register. It is not highlighted enough. The communication and information is not out there. Going back to what Mr. Dolan said, we need to ensure there is communication and information for people with a disability so they know about it. Perhaps we should set up some scheme to ensure there is a lift to the polling station or maybe there is some organisation that can help, like the DFI. I was speaking to one or two people in recent weeks, and if a person had a disability and wanted to run for election, they would find it very expensive. What do we need to put in place to help someone who is, perhaps, on a payment, would love to stand for election but knows they cannot afford it? There are the costs of literature and posters. Are we looking at putting something in place-----