Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

They had been living at the same address for the past 40 to 50 years. They went to vote as normal but were told they were not on the electoral register. They only discovered it on the day of the election. One can tell people as many times as one likes to check the electoral register in a Garda station, but some people are never in a Garda station. One would not check anything in the post office in Portlaoise because one would have to queue for half an hour or three quarters of an hour to get into it, and if one goes on pension day one could be longer.

We must make electoral registration easier. PPS numbers are used across Departments and could act as the key to the drawer, so to speak. There must be a way for people to get on the electoral register using their PPS number that does not show the number on the system. I believe showing the PPS number on the register of electors would give rise to data protection issues. There must be a way of getting a person onto the register by means of the PPS number and then producing the paper copy without showing the PPS number.

Sinn Féin would like to see a change in the qualifying age for voting purposes. The Government is moving to reduce the age to 17, which is to be welcomed. Sinn Féin would also like to see a change in the franchise for presidential elections to allow all Irish people North and South to vote. Uachtarán na hÉireann is across the water this week proudly representing all Irish citizens. While that is to be welcomed, it is unfortunate that people in the Six Counties cannot vote for a person of their choice to become Uachtarán na hÉireann. We urge that the matter be examined as well as the wider issue of Irish citizens abroad. As a former emigrant I am aware that Irish people living in England will be very proud to see the President there, with the Tricolour flying, and also to get the long-overdue acknowledgement of their contribution to English society and to England, Scotland and Wales, which they built after the war. We should allow Irish citizens abroad to vote. It cannot be beyond us to find a mechanism to allow them to vote in presidential elections. I hope the issues I raised will be addressed by a future constitutional convention. In the meantime, I am happy to support the Bill, which addresses and removes one of the existing flaws in the electoral system. A growing number of people, unfortunately, have been caught - in most cases through no fault of their own - and have been declared bankrupt. Such people will now be able to contest elections to this House.

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