Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Prior to the adjournment of the debate I welcomed the fact that the Minister is now attempting to put some structure on spending limits in elections, starting with the local elections this June. We already have limits for the European elections. The submission from the Standards in Public Office Commission contained a recommendation that the limits would come into play between 90 to 120 days before an election, which is where we are now, but the Minister has opted for 30 days. It will be from April now, which is almost a two-month period. I am sure that will be welcomed by many people. Having been involved in elections myself, I am aware that there can be a frenzy in election spending, so limits are welcome.

Since 1998 we have had controls on spending in Dáil elections, by-elections and subsequently in European elections. From my experience of working with candidates and being a candidate myself, the limits have worked extremely well. People have been very conscious of the limitations on them and of the need to have to make returns afterwards. My party and other political parties are very conscious of abiding by the rules and regulations laid down in that area. The timeframe has been short for general elections and because of that much expenditure has been front-loaded. Nevertheless, the fact that a spending limit is in place has contributed to ensuring everybody is on a level playing field.

In the table the Minister has produced on spending, approximately 10% can be contributed to the political party or that amount can be changed by a request in writing. Perhaps the Minister will elaborate, on Committee and Report Stages, on how he envisages that happening. Will the local authorities give permission or who will be the overseeing body? For example, if political parties are to provide posters for candidates that would account for a considerable percentage of their costs. It would probably be greater than the 10% which the Minister has outlined. I am sure there is flexibility in that regard. We can tease out the matter tomorrow when we discuss the Bill in greater detail.

Another area dealt with by the Bill is the time period within which posters can be displayed. Currently, the litter Act makes no reference to a restriction on the time posters can be displayed prior to elections, although we are all conscious of the stipulation regarding seven days after the election. I support the Minister's proposal to restrict the display of posters to 30 days. That is a worthwhile change because over-postering can alienate the electorate and cause annoyance in many quarters. Posters lose their impact if they are up for too long a period. We will see how the 30-day period will work in this election. It is always good to have restrictions, rules and regulations within which people can work, as that contributes to and facilitates a level playing pitch. Many town councils asked candidates in previous elections not to put up posters and I am sure this will happen again. When all candidates are willing to do that, it works very well. I am aware of one or two borough councils in my area that did this and candidates adhered to the agreement.

I do not object to posters because they create some razzmatazz at election time. They create an interest and are valuable for new candidates in getting their faces and names before the electorate. Posters are part of our election system, but it is a good idea to corral postering into a 30-day period rather than allowing them go up two months prior to an election. I welcome that proposal. Perhaps we could also take a look at what other countries do. Some continental countries, for example, have a central postering unit.

See this speech in context