Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

To reiterate my Committee Stage comments, the purpose of this short Bill is to deal with three distinct aspects of electoral law. It was never the intention to provide for a more wide-ranging review of electoral procedures or to address issues such as the register of electors. While Deputies' comments were made in good faith and I agree with the sentiments expressed by all Members who have addressed this matter, they would be more appropriate to the electoral commission legislation that I intend to introduce next year. The matters arising in respect of the register of electors are fundamental to our democracy. It would be far better to engage in a comprehensive examination of the issues, for people to have an opportunity to exercise their right to vote and to address the issues together in the context of the electoral commission proposal contained in the programme for Government. I hope to be able to introduce proposals in 2012.

To address Deputy Tuffy's points, the provisions of the Electoral Act require a constituency commission to wait until the Central Statistic Office's final results have been published and reported to the Ceann Comhairle. The matter to which she referred will not arise, as the commission must submit its report three months after the CSO's final figures have become available.

See this speech in context