Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

It may also be argued that people have more leisure time at the weekend, so electors would have greater opportunity to vote at an election when they are freed from demanding work schedules. Equally, it could be said that, given busy modern lifestyles, the weekend represents valuable spare time for family, sporting and other pursuits and religious and spiritual time. It may be the case that the weekend is not as attractive as we might hypothesise. If we look at other experiences, we will see the point I am making here is borne out by the facts. It must also be borne in mind that today, for many people, particularly workers in the tourism, retail and transport industries, the weekend is probably the busiest time and they might have difficulty in getting to polling stations.

On the religious dimension to the issue, if weekend voting were to become part of the national arrangements, it might be necessary to ensure that voting could take place over both Saturday and Sunday to accommodate religious observance by members of both the Christian and Jewish communities. Friday may also need to be considered because the most rapidly growing religious group in the country observes its Sabbath on Friday. There are practical issues involved.

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