Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)

Táimid ag caint anois faoina lán daoine nach mbeidh seans acu votáil i dtoghchán Údarás na Gaeltachta ar 2 Aibreán. Táim sásta go bhfuil an seans agam é sin a ardú anocht. Is rud uafásach é nach bhfuil seans ag cuid daoine a vótanna a úsáid i dtoghchán Údarás na Gaeltachta nó in aon toghchán eile ach oiread. Tá díomá orm go raibh an tAire míchúramach san ábhar seo. I think that the Minister took his eye off the ball, mar a deirtear. Is dóiche go bhfuil sé sin ceart, ach tá brón orm gur tharla sé.

It is important to clarify the eligibility criteria for the postal vote. People are eligible to apply for and receive a postal vote if they are unable to leave home or a nursing home to cast their ballots or if they are on the register of electors but are working or studying away from home on the day of an election. Obtaining a postal vote was intended to be a simple matter and it usually is, but in this instance the Minister has made it far more difficult than is necessary.

While people can apply for a postal vote for up to two days after the order for an election is signed, the intended signing date for the order for the Údarás election was something of a mystery. I inquired of the Department and the returning officer every day for the past fortnight as to when the order would be signed, but nobody could tell me. Ní raibh fhios ag aon duine. Quite suddenly on Friday afternoon, the order was signed. I assumed that as it was signed on a Friday, people would have two working days and would still be eligible to apply for a postal vote until Tuesday. The returning officer told me that as the Act refers to "two days", Saturday and Monday were counted, leaving out Sunday.

The approach is not in line with the spirit of the Act. It should have been possible to apply for a postal vote for two working days after the order was signed. I cannot understand why the Minister was so secretive about signing the order or why he signed it on a Friday. Why did he not sign it on a Monday? If he had, there would be no confusion about whether Saturday was a working day. The Fine Gael Party has three candidates for Údarás na Gaeltachta in the Galway electoral area. I told them that while I did not know on what date the order would be signed, they would have two working days from the date to lodge the last of their postal vote applications. One of the candidates went with a bundle of applications to apply on Tuesday but was denied the opportunity to obtain postal votes for his constituents. The Minister's party has six candidates in the area. I do not know if they were aware of when the order would be signed, but I certainly could not find out in advance.

Apart from the fact that my party has been left at a severe disadvantage, an issue of fairness is involved. People who cannot attend a polling booth on election day for whatever reason should be facilitated, but on this occasion it was made difficult for them to obtain a postal vote. Last week, the Minister introduced 35 pages of regulations to govern the Údarás na Gaeltachta election and denied those of us with an interest in the matter the opportunity to debate them in the House. I might have been able to draw to his attention during a debate the difficulty that would arise in the context of postal votes. I would certainly have warned him to avoid signing the order on a Friday afternoon as he might count Saturday and place people at a disadvantage.

The Minister has a great deal for which to answer to the disadvantaged, disenfranchised Údarás electorate. Fine Gael has been put at a severe disadvantage also.

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