James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

Allied with the lack of information that was the hallmark of the disastrous Lisbon treaty referendum, the confusion associated with posters featuring party politicians brought the campaign to an inevitable conclusion. Bluntly put, politicians on every side of the divide must rise above the promotion of their personal image to highlight the pros and cons of this important issue.

The survival of the country as a member of the EU is not dependent on local or national politics, but rather the subjection of national bickering to secure our European future for voters throughout the country. Photos of local politicians on Lisbon treaty posters clouded and obscured the essential message. Many voters were confused and party loyalties directed what should have been independent and well informed opinion. I call on the Minister to take whatever steps are necessary to direct a sensible campaign in the lead up to the second Lisbon treaty vote. Posters should only be permitted to feature a point of view and not be used as a form of self promotion.

While the Bill seeks to limit the period during which posters may be exhibited at elections, it should also make provision to separate the form of poster permitted for elections as opposed to referendums. Given the obvious lack of thought in the lead up to the first Lisbon treaty vote, it is now essential that the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed.

At local and general elections, posters can be counter productive. The public is fed up with the early appearance of posters which can be compared with the extension of the Christmas period. To the electorate, the appearance of posters evokes the same reaction as the appearance of the festive season in mid or early September. Election posters appear early and disappear late. What starts as a poster well fixed to a pole or tree may become in the course of the lead up to the election a scruffy, defaced offering hanging on by a thread or else blowing about the street. Perhaps election posters should be limited to free dedicated poster sites and not permitted to appear like a rash around our streets. An excess of posters can be counter productive and the irritation factor for the public especially regarding the litter factor can in fact work against candidates.

Perhaps as a member of the Green Party, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government would consider an allowance for the recycling of posters. This is an initiative that would lessen the public's aversion to the rash of posters that, once the election is over, add to our waste problems.

The extension of the role of local authorities in the Bill at the expense of a provision to set up an independent electoral commission is disappointing. While local authorities have done the best job possible in the circumstances, the care of the electoral register is not within their remit and has placed an undue burden on staff and resources. Currently some 34 registration authorities are legally responsible for preparing and maintaining the register, despite it not being a core function of local authorities. This undoubtedly leads to a lack of priority being given to maintaining data.

A review carried out by Fine Gael on the future of the electoral register in Ireland has indicated that the need for a single, independent body to foster integrity and public confidence in the democratic process and to regulate party and election finances is a foremost consideration. An electoral commission which would regulate all matters pertaining to the electoral register would fill the void that has been created by the decentralised multi-agency approach taken to the register in the past. An accurate register of electors is essential if one is to have an open and fully transparent voting process in a democracy.

While it is not productive to hark back to mistakes made by the Government, it is self-evident that the electoral register has been woefully neglected. The Government's startling apathy towards the register culminated in the finding of more than 800,000 errors, which is totally unacceptable. Every person entitled to vote must be able to do so and all citizens must have confidence in the accuracy of the electoral register.

While the rights of citizenship are continually emphasised in democracies, citizens' duties and obligations, which in this country broadly prescribe that we owe certain duties or obligations to the State, including the payment of taxes and the undertaking of jury service, should be expanded to emphasise the duty as opposed to merely the right to exercise one's electoral franchise. In 32 countries worldwide it is compulsory to vote. In 19 of these countries, including Australia, compulsory voting is pursued through enforcement and in Belgium it dates back to 1892.

The Government must support the establishment of an electoral commission and compilation of a new national rolling electoral register. It is essential to resolve the problems associated with the register of electors and the associated necessity of having a single overarching body responsible for the compilation of the electoral register. The Chief Electoral Officer in Northern Ireland or Electoral Commission in the United Kingdom could serve as a model.

Administration of the electoral system has been piecemeal and lacks a cohesive approach. The Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has consulted a number of bodies in other jurisdictions. The Fine Gael Party supports and promotes the overriding consensus that a single body be established to compile and manage the electoral register. This should be an independent body free from Government and political interference. What is wrong with this proposal? It should be acceptable to all those who have nothing to hide or brush under the carpet. The CEO of the Northern Ireland Electoral Office is not a member of the civil service there. His or her terms of reference are similar to those of a judge which gives the office an independence from government or political interference.

We must introduce a system which is recognised as a model of good practice in electoral registration and administration. All eligible persons should be able to participate in the democratic process by registering and voting, free from intimidation and threats. It is essential to secure the integrity of the electoral process. Once a new body, whether an electoral commission or national electoral office under a chief executive officer with local offices, is established, it should have a broader remit than compiling and maintaining the electoral register. The CEO should be designated the electoral commissioner or chief electoral officer. The body should have complete responsibility for the electoral register, the electoral process, specifically initiatives such as e-voting if this can be satisfactorily introduced, counter-fraud measures and electoral identity cards.

While the introduction of electoral identity cards may be contentious in so far as the debate on this issue of identity cards is characterised by strong opposing viewpoints, such a card, provided it featured a photograph, would eliminate fraud. Members should strongly support the introduction of electoral identity cards as part of an overall revamp of the electoral process and as a valuable tool to complete registration. Registration for an electoral identity card could run hand in hand with electoral registration and while the card would not contain personally sensitive information, such as PPS numbers, date of birth or address, such data would be kept on record. An electoral identity card could also be used to open a bank account, for the purposes of airline security, to gain entrance to pubs and clubs, thus bypassing the need for students to carry passports which are currently being misused, and to buy alcohol and tobacco.

Legislation must be urgently drafted to empower a new body or commission to carry out a clearly defined mandate; transfer electoral roles to one body; revise the existing register, as outlined; give statutory standing to a continuous registration process; provide resources for staffing, marketing and research; and update the registration process with an emphasis on compulsory registration. It is my considered opinion, based on methods used in other jurisdictions, that all matters pertaining to the register and the full electoral process should come under the sole authority of a single body.

While the Fine Gael Party does not propose to table a large number of amendments, it will seek clarity on the wording of paragraph (i) on page 5, which is confusing and appears to indicate that a political party could incur 10% of the expense incurred in a local election. The Minister went some way towards clarifying this matter but further clarification is required.

The Minister also referred to the disqualification of a member of a local authority who breaks the law. However, he did not indicate how the resultant vacancy would be filled. He must clarify how this will be done, for example, by way of a by-election or co-option.

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