Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I am sure my parish priest will not mind me telling this story. He was listening to some people saying I was a good man and one lady said I would not get any votes in the area and the parish priest said I would, that I would vote for myself. That is what we do.

In reply to what my colleagues across the floor have said about the election day, my view is that it does not matter what day one picks, it will be right for some and wrong for others. That is fair enough. If the Taoiseach had indicated it would be any other day, there would still have been an argument about it. The Taoiseach has made the valid point that until the election is announced, we will not know on what day it is to be held.

It is important to note that voting in this country to date has taken place on every day of the week except Sunday and Monday. We are aware that the second referendum on the Nice treaty in 2002 was held on a Saturday, as was the Tipperary South by-election in the previous year. Arguments can be made for or against the choice of any particular day. That is fair enough in a democracy. The Minister made the point that in attempting to accommodate one group of voters by choosing a particular polling day, another group may be inconvenienced. There will be advantages and disadvantages no matter what day is chosen. I have great respect for Deputy O'Dowd and the points he made but I think he would accept that is true.

I understand there is little evidence to suggest the choice of a particular day of the week has a significant impact on voter turnout or that, for example, voting on a Friday produces a higher turnout. I will be going around Dublin South-West over the next three, four or however many weeks before the election — as I always do, I am not just waiting for the election to be called — and I will go to every street in Tallaght, Firhouse, Greenhills, Templeogue, Brittas, and every farm in Bohernabreena. My first message will be that people should come out to vote because it is important for democracy. It is important there is a choice of candidates and that there would be stable government. I hope people will listen to this message.

It is also important that we make the point to Government that polling stations should be open for as long as possible. Some people think it is a good idea to have polling stations open from 7 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. while other people do not hold that view. I think it is a good idea. I will only be voting once but I intend to be up and about at 7 a.m. on the morning of the election. I will go out to vote and I hope lots of people will do that also.

I wish to take the opportunity to talk about my constituency for a moment. One of my concerns relates to the new communities that have developed there in the five years since the last general election. I am not clear how these people will be catered for in terms of polling stations. I have appealed to the sheriff and the council to ensure they take account of the needs of voters in these new communities. It is important that people can vote in locations convenient to where they live. Tallaght, Firhouse and Ballycullen in the constituency of Dublin South-West are no different from anywhere else in the country. I am sure this problem also arises in County Louth, County Cork and County Sligo. Issues arise in this regard in my constituency and I hope the list the sheriff gave me this morning will be improved on and that new polling stations will be set up where possible.

This is a challenge in every single constituency because of the absence of new buildings, community centres and schools in certain communities. There is room for improvement in this regard. Election day presents particular challenges. I am sure this is not just an issue for me in Dublin South-West; I suspect it is also an issue in the new communities in Limerick as much as anywhere else. Local sheriffs will have to take account of the needs of the population to ensure polling stations are properly marked and people can gain access to them.

I welcome the opportunity provided to us by Deputy O'Dowd and the Fine Gael Party to debate this issue. He has heard my views and he would be somewhat surprised if I agreed fully with him. I will listen carefully when he concludes the debate later and I hope he will join with me in making an appeal to all voters, whatever their political affiliations, to show they care about our democracy at a time when we hear stories from all over the world about democracy being challenged. It is good that we use our vote. I look forward to election day. As I may not have another opportunity, I wish all my colleagues well and I hope they wish me well also.

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