Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I did say that. There is no constitutional or legal position that says that one has to change the law. However, because the right to vote is fundamental and people, both inside and outside the House, have stated that on this issue we should be careful, "treble careful", as it was put in one newspaper, when making any changes, we have listened. We have examined what we can do to bring certainty. The Government understands and agrees with the need to ensure the utmost confidence in the electoral system. Therefore, in response to the concerns expressed, we have decided to establish an independent panel to verify secrecy and to deal with the issue of an individual who wishes to abstain and how that might be highlighted. It means changing the equipment technically, which will be explained later tonight, as well as dealing with the tallying information. Those were the issues raised. We have looked at them and while it is not a necessity to change, we think it would be better to do so to ensure the absolute credibility of the system. It is right that we do that and I hope it is recognised inside and outside the House.

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