Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Last week the House debated the sorry state of the electoral register. It is the fundamental duty of each individual to ensure they are registered on the register of electors but, in practice, this does not happen. Over the years, this duty has been carried out for local authorities by rate collectors, now revenue collectors. The situation socially and demographically has changed utterly in the past 20 years.

The Taoiseach will be aware that newspaper reports indicate that up to 800,000 individuals may be registered inaccurately on the register of electors. Obviously this would have serious implications for those standing for election in any constituency, irrespective of party or none. Unlike the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, who has taken to blaming the local authorities for this debacle, the Trinity branch of Ógra Fianna Fáil — credit to it — was able to establish, under supervision, that 17,000 eligible voters in Dublin South-East alone are not registered. I said that the members of Ógra Fianna Fáil were supervised by academics from Trinity College. Obviously over the years, at least in some constituencies, given the way the register was compiled, Fianna Fáil people would want to have been supervised.

It appears that 15,000 people who have died or moved out of the area since 2002 are still on the register. I understand the rate collectors, now the revenue collectors, are paid on the basis of the numbers on the register, therefore, the old adage of never removing anyone from the register applies. It means it is in the interest of anyone to keep as many as possible on the register. What is the Taoiseach's estimate of the accuracy of the register? Does the Taoiseach hold the view expressed by some over the past few days that very many cases could be taken by those who are disenfranchised by not being on the register? Can the Taoiseach give an undertaking that no change to the register will take place until this fundamental issue of its accuracy is sorted out? Perhaps the Taoiseach might explain the Government's intentions in view of the failure of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to deal with the matter.

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