Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Andrew Doyle and commend him on putting forward this Bill on polling times, as giving certainty to voters on the issue is very important. I use the opportunity to mention in particular those who do not work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including many people in rural areas and especially in summer. For example, those in the farming sector essentially work from dawn to dusk and may not know if a polling station will open at 8 a.m., 8.30 a.m., 9 a.m. or 7 a.m., and they may not know if it is closing at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. Giving absolute certainty on the opening and closing times of polling stations in all elections would be particularly helpful for those who work the land, especially in summer, but also for some of the communities I represent, including the fishing communities. Those working times are dictated by issues such as tides, and they would welcome greater certainty about polling times.

This may bring a very long day for polling staff but my experience, having spoken to polling clerks and presiding officers, is they are quite happy to work the long hours the day presents. What makes their job difficult are the problems described by many previous speakers, and unfortunately in every election I have participated or been a part of over a number of years, we have always got phone calls, texts and Facebook updates from people who on going to vote discovered they were not on the electoral register. With one unfortunate case in my area, a person moved but the entire family of eligible voters was struck from the electoral register, causing major distress for a family that never failed to vote. The idea that the responsibility is on individual electors to check the register is valid but the operation of the electoral register leaves much to be desired.

There is an opportunity with the new regime for water charges to change this process. We have not had a database of households in this country since 1977 but we now have one from the household charge, the non-principal private residence and properties charges, as well as the introduction of water charges. Not only do we have a database of households but we also have a record of people aged over or under 18 in those households. It beggars belief that with every engagement that the citizen has with the State, through the health services or other agencies, there is no part of the application process or a box to tick so that we could cross-reference the engagement with the franchised offices of the various local authorities or the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. We could include or exclude people on an ongoing basis if we had such a process rather than having to spend so much time and resources in the approach to elections advertising that if people are not on the register, they cannot vote. We can act on this through social media and other avenues but cross-referencing State agencies and Departments with the franchise offices must be improved. We should be able to achieve this through the new local authority charge processes that will be fleshed out over a number of months.

The alignment of European elections with local elections must continue, and I shudder to think what would be the turnout for European elections if they were not aligned to local elections. Perhaps we could go further in securing greater participation in European elections.

I feel strongly about how polling cards are distributed. They arrive when literature from every candidate is coming through the letterbox, along with publicity post circulars about hearing aids and methods of discarding clothes. The polling card is indistinguishable from such junk mail, so there would be greater engagement if the polling card arrived in an envelope addressed to a particular voter. Far too often, the polling card is put in the same filing cabinet as all the other junk mail coming through the letter box, so when people are looking for them, they may be unsure if they were received and, as a result, whether they are on the register. This is also an issue for those who are visually impaired. How do those who are visually impaired or totally blind know they have a voting card? Could we not do something to help them, like send an embossed envelope? That would help them to know that what is in their hand is not a request to dispose of old clothes or a great offer for new hearing aids but rather a polling card.

A Minister of State, Deputy Ring, yesterday announced the allocations of the sports capital grant, making the point that each area received the money on a per capitabasis. Although it may seem facetious, if the likes of the sports capital grant were allocated on the basis of voter turnout, I wonder if it would open a better discussion about the disadvantages of poor voter participation. Other countries have different methods, including mandatory voting or the imposition of financial penalties on those who cannot give a reasonable justification for not showing up at a polling station. Relatively speaking, we do not have poor voter turnout but it is always heartening and it provides a greater mandate if there is strong voter participation. Anything that can be done in that regard should be considered.

I was disappointed to note the tenor of Deputy Cowen's contribution, and as his party's spokesperson for the environment, he could have been a bit more proactive about his thoughts for electoral reform, especially if he had given a minute to addressing the Bill introduced by Deputy Doyle. One could easily argue that Deputy Cowen's party has been the least transparent, and it put a bulldozer through freedom of information legislation in recent years. It decimated local authorities when it abolished household rates in 1977, and it will take 75 years for local authorities to catch up and provide modern services. Does Deputy Cowen believe his party has a greater claim to democracy than the current Government?

I echo the sentiments of Deputy John Paul Phelan. A senior Opposition spokesperson for the environment has stated in the Dáil that the banking inquiry is fatally flawed and such a contribution needs further clarification.

What is Fianna Fáil's policy and what is its position on the banking inquiry? I am quite content for it to reflect the make-up of this Dáil. If the Deputy has a different idea he needs to elaborate on that and not further damage the democratic process which he has railed against here.

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