Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I thank my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, for sharing time with me. I welcome this debate. The Members on this side of the House take a different approach to Deputy Gilmore on this matter. I welcome the fact that he has allowed us to debate this issue.

As the Minister said, Deputy Gilmore and his colleagues proposed, on foot of a debate on Question Time in this House, that census enumerators should be allowed to check the electoral register. As the Minister of State with responsibility for the Central Statistics Office, I pursued that proposal. The Minister, Deputy Roche, has informed the House that it was simply not possible to take further steps in that regard. I am sure we all agree that census enumerators have a difficult job in concentrating on their valuable and focused work, which they have almost completed. Not only do they have to ensure that people sign their census forms, they also have to do the follow-up work. This is a separate issue that needs to be addressed. I will refer briefly to the role of the Central Statistics Office in this respect later in my speech.

I think we all agree that voting is the oxygen of democratic politics. There is substantial interest in this subject across party lines. I hope we can agree a way forward on foot of this debate. There are some short-term requirements in this regard. My colleague, Deputy Roche, has clearly outlined many of the obvious solutions that can be put in place. We need to find concrete and well thought out solutions to the decline in voter registration and participation, which is a matter that must be treated seriously. The Minister has mentioned some such solutions. A radical overhaul of the system is impractical in the relatively short time that remains in the lifetime of this Government. I accept that the issue of electoral registration will have to be dealt with comprehensively in the longer term. I do not doubt that this debate will inform us all in that regard. Nobody has a monopoly on solutions. Everybody has practical experience of this issue, which is closely related to the work we all do.

Some blatantly obvious short-term issues need to be addressed urgently. Local authorities should redouble their efforts. We should consider further practical and realistic proposals, within the existing legislative framework, to assist registration authorities in ensuring that the electoral register is as comprehensive and as accurate as possible. We all accept there are huge problems in that regard. As the Minister of State with responsibility for the Central Statistics Office, I have opened discussions with the CSO about the possibility of census enumerators helping to carry out the vital role of ensuring that the register is maintained and updated on a consistent and continual basis. The personnel in question are well placed to provide a service to the voter and potential voter in this regard. I do not ignore or undervalue the vital role played by the local authorities in this area. I do not intend to rule them out of the process entirely.

Local government has changed dramatically in recent years. It faces huge challenges in a range of areas, not least in maintaining and updating the register of electors. As the Minister of State responsible for e-Government, as part of any long-term overhaul of the system, future Governments might actively explore the idea of on-line voter registration which offers the possibility of a speedy and efficient electronic method of voter registration. Such a measure, like the proposals in the Private Members' Bill before us, would require significant input from all the stakeholders. Extensive testing and analysis of the various security and confidentiality protocols, not to mention the identity protocols which might be required if such a system proved desirable, would have to be undertaken. I welcome the Minister's reference to the need for on-line checking of the register. It is important that people should avail of that facility.

The task at hand is immediate and simple — to ensure by next year that the electoral registers for all constituencies are up to date and accurate and that everyone legally entitled to vote in the next general election can and will be able to do so. Conversely, individuals who are not entitled to have a vote should not be allowed to remain on or be added to the register. This House should agree on the need for a major drive by the local authorities over the next six months to ensure that a reliable and accurate electoral register is established.

While Deputy Gilmore has made some important proposals, they are matters, like on-line registration, which need to be considered over the longer term. Given that the House needs to address some real and immediate needs, I respectfully suggest that it should pursue the approach adopted by the Minister, Deputy Roche. If extra personnel are required on a short-term basis, and I do not doubt that they are, they should be taken on. It does not matter whether they come from the Central Statistics Office. I know the Minister has some other ideas on where they might come from. If people are available to perform this major logistical task, they should be asked to do it. There should not be any barriers to the organisation of a straightforward logistical operation that will enhance our democratic system. A major national awareness campaign will be required to ensure that the next register is properly compiled.

I urge the House to agree that practical and necessary steps are needed if we are to deal with this matter. I welcome the fact that this issue has been raised. I have spoken about this matter because the Central Statistics Office, for which I am responsible, comes under the aegis of the Department of the Taoiseach. I have been in touch with the CSO about the census, as requested by the Deputies opposite. That could not be done, unfortunately, but I genuinely feel that the staff of the CSO are ready, willing and able to assist in this regard. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and local authorities have ultimate responsibility in this regard. We should work together on this issue. I do not think the House should divide on a matter of this importance. I hope the Members opposite will agree that the Government has proposed some practical solutions in a serious manner as part of this important debate.

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