David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I am pleased to be able to make a short contribution on this important Bill. When we debate electoral Bills, we are discussing our democracy and the democratic process. In this Bill, we could address the matter of encouraging people to vote, the reasons they do not vote and how to make it easier for them to vote. I wish to discuss these issues later.

On the Constituency Commission's report, it used to be the case that the Minister made the decisions. Thankfully, the situation has changed and there is an independent commission consisting of five eminent persons. I will make a suggestion for the Minister of State's consideration of the Bill. While there is a provision for people to make submissions, experienced former politicians from all sides should sit as an advisory group to the commission because their input could be invaluable. Were they able to work in a reflective way and were the commission to consult them rather than be dictated to by them, it would help the commission's work significantly.

Many colleagues have commented on the fact that, for various reasons, natural boundaries and geographical areas have been breached by the commission, county boundaries in particular. Counties Kerry, Limerick and others come to mind. It might be the case that the input of eminent former politicians might inform the commission that this might not be the best way to go for the sake of the confused people on the ground, not for the sake of politicians.

I note the attempt to link local electoral areas with Dáil electoral areas. It is important that, if possible, local election areas be contained within Dáil areas because people get confused. If a Deputy is representing people in the Dáil and a councillor at local authority area it can be confusing. It is best if local and Dáil electoral areas are linked.

We should examine ways to make the work of the commission more public and transparent. The commission could hold public hearings because this would involve the public in the process, much like the Forum for Europe. Deputy Terence Flanagan referred to the fact there were only eight public submissions on the European Parliament constituency boundaries. We should include the public more by holding meetings in public around the country. People might attend and get involved with the work of the commission.

Making the work of the Dáil more accessible will be helped by the Oireachtas television channel. Everything we do is in public but a television channel will help. The idea is to involve the people even more.

Other speakers have referred to the need to reform the electoral register. Many are registered to vote in a number of locations and others are not registered to vote. This is always a major issue. Polling cards are often issued to the deceased. I wonder why franchise officers cannot keep an eye on the death notices in newspapers. It is not easy but if that was done, the names of deceased people could be removed from the electoral register. This could also be done by contacting undertakers. It is disconcerting for people to get polling cards for those who are deceased and it can be upsetting.

I note that in the referendum on the Lisbon treaty the deadline for voter registration was quite short. Many people lost out, especially in respect of postal voting. Many of us have come across people who wanted to vote but could not. The next election will be the local and European elections on 11 June. Many people go on holidays at this time of the year and therefore will be disenfranchised. I suggested a mechanism whereby those who go on holidays can register for a postal vote prior to leaving, provided they show an airline ticket or another document proving they are going on holidays. Many people want to vote but cannot because of this issue. Recently, our elections have been held in June, when older people go on holidays to take advantage of the fact that schools are not on holidays.

This is important legislation. It is a pity that natural and county boundaries are breached. I ask that the issue of postal votes for those going on holidays be examined. The voting systems for those with disabilities or in hospital could be streamlined to make it easier for them to obtain postal votes. It is quite a cumbersome method at the moment.

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