Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

Regarding Deputy McCormack's point about staff, it was for this reason that I have proposed to give local authorities the funding and authority to take on enumerators.

Deputy O'Dowd raised the issue of whether we should engage new personnel. This is unwise for the following reasons. The enumerators have been around the country, are very familiar with the space and have established a lot of knowledge that should be used. As Deputy Broughan stated previously, if we cannot use enumerators, we should consider other personnel. Postal staff would be the best way to address the issue.

Deputy O'Dowd was correct when he stated that the situation in urban areas would probably be different, a matter raised by Deputy Catherine Murphy. In certain areas where there are many apartments or gated estates, the issue will be more challenging. As such, it is not possible to say where resources will go. Deputy Murphy asked whether the amount will be specific to each authority or if an average will be given. Giving an average is not a proper way to do this. I will examine the requirements of individual circumstances, which the amount given will reflect. For example, it would not be sensible to suggest that a small county should get as much as a county with a large urban area.

Deputy Cuffe asked whether I refused funding to any authorities. I refused a specific blanket request from Kildare County Council because it is not appropriate to dole out money to local authorities on an asked-for basis. As was pointed out in Deputy Gilmore's press release yesterday, there is a statutory requirement on the local authorities to do this job, which some are doing in a spectacularly good way. However, while they make real efforts, others do not. I do not intend to reward those who are not doing their jobs. Rather, I intend to force them. I stated previously that I have spoken to a number of local authority managers and franchise officers and I am convinced that all of them have a serious interest in resolving this issue.

It is important to say that over the years, we have concentrated on putting people on the register, which is as it should be. We will now concentrate on editing the register and including those who should be on it. This will require the co-operation of members of the public. I do not want Deputies informing the House next November that X, Y and Z has been written off the register. There is a challenge to get it right. For example, if two visits are made to a household, an official notification and a warning that people could be taken off the register are sent and the people are then removed from the register, we should discuss it. I have written to the Chairman of the committee and suggested that we sit down and discuss the matter in detail. It would provide us with a better opportunity than Question Time.

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