James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The commission has recommended that our European parliamentary constituency be part of the north-west region. This is important because the midlands region has much in common with those counties, particularly in matters such as agricultural development. Ours is a disadvantaged constituency which has little in common with Dublin and the east coast.

It is essential the democratic process is seen to be impartial and transparent, which brings me to the important bedrock of the electoral register and the urgent need to establish an electoral commission to safeguard electoral integrity. There is a need for a single body to foster integrity and public confidence in the electoral process. This measure was discussed when we were in opposition and I hope we will implement it now that we are in government. I know the Minister is committed to it. The existing state of the electoral register has been found to be unsatisfactory and it has been woefully neglected in the past. The current administration of the system is piecemeal and lacks a cohesive approach. Major discrepancies have been found between it and the published figures in recent censuses. In 2007 alone, it was estimated that there were 800,000 errors in the register. Such errors negatively impact on voter turnout and future registrations.

Ireland’s electoral register is patently incapable of being updated and maintained within the existing structures of local authorities. There are 24 registration authorities legally responsible for the register. This is not, however, a core function of local authorities. They have between 700 and 800 programmes to look after and the register lacks priority within these structures. Local authorities have done the best possible job, but the care of the register is not within their remit. This places an undue burden on resources and staff. We must secure the integrity of the electoral process and solve the problems associated with the register of electors and address the necessity for having one overarching body responsible for compiling the register such as the chief electoral officer in Northern Ireland or the Electoral Commission in the United Kingdom.

The consolidation of the electoral registers into one national register, maintained by a single body, would also provide for an overall saving to the taxpayer. Several years ago, as a member of an environment committee delegation, I had the pleasure of visiting the Northern Ireland Electoral Commission and meeting its head, Mr. Douglas Bain. He informed us that the cost of maintaining the electoral register came to approximately £2.5 million, with a further £2.5 million required for the running of elections.

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