Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

No, the organisation is An Post. The local postman or postwoman is calling to every house in the country on a daily basis. No other organisation knows every house in the country, and the occupants of houses, and no organisation is better placed to know who should be on the voter register. Representatives of An Post call to houses and then the register could be checked. Most Deputies have been members of a local authority and know that many of the staff do not know half the county, and would not know how to find a boreen or a pot-holed road. If one tried to explain it to them they would not know where it is, yet they are responsible for having the people who live there on the voter register. It is not part of the daily work of local authorities to travel the highways, byways and visit apartment blocks in the cities, finding out who lives in the area. The local authority may have a role in dealing with the count but it should have no role in the voter register.

Another reason for having an organisation like An Post doing it is that the process could be centralised. The last speaker referred to the massive population shift. People move from Dublin to Laois, Offaly, Kildare and vice versa, and from Galway to Mayo. It would be better if there were a central office where one could change constituency. This would be simpler than going to one constituency and removing one's name, and then registering in a new constituency. Many people have lost their vote in that transfer. They were removed from the register in their old constituency and were not on the voter register in the new area. There needs to be a centralised register where one amendment to the register can effect the required change, instead of having to deal with the local authorities.

The most important electoral matter for the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government is voter turnout, or the lack thereof. Voter turnout has been decreasing steadily for several years. There must be good reasons for that. It is the job of the Department to carry out detailed surveys with detailed questionnaires. We are all aware of voter apathy and it is not just young people. Old people are also apathetic and maybe politicians have contributed to that. In a healthy democracy we need an increased voter turnout. Politicians should work collectively towards that, and aim to get the turnout up to 70% or 80% rather than 50%.

The population on which this legislation is based is the 2002 census. I understand that the next census will be taken in 2006. The figures from the 2002 census will no longer be a valid basis for the next general election. I suspect we will have a census early next year and there should be a system whereby the CSO can compile those figures within weeks of the completion of the census. Although it may cause too much grief to people in this House perhaps the boundaries should be examined in terms of the population that will exist at the time of the next general election. Boundary changes cause upheaval to Deputies but it is important boundaries be up to date. We will fight the 2007 election on the basis of a census which is not the most recent one.

The British general election took place recently and I was impressed by the speed of the election. People went to the polls on the Thursday, and by Friday morning every member of parliament was elected, and before the end of the day the government was in place. By Saturday some Ministers were at their desks.

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