Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a technical Bill and the Deputy has made more of it than is deserved. We have set out clearly that we are facilitating the filling of vacancies for the future. The Deputy might be satisfied to have those particular measures in place when there are 158 Independents in the Dáil. We will see how coherently business can be organised then.

Since taking office in 2011, the Government has introduced radical and significant reforms to the operation and financing of the political system, which Deputy Murphy failed to realise and acknowledge. The constituency and local electoral area boundaries have been reviewed and revised for local, European and Dáil elections, thereby improving the representational balance across the State for all elections. We have had a very busy programme of political reform, continuing with the general scheme of the Seanad electoral (university members) (amendment) Bill, which will provide for the election of six university Senators on a more democratic basis. That Bill was published recently for consultation. The Electoral (Amendment) Act 2014 repealed the provisions in the Electoral Act 1992 and the European Parliament Elections Act 1997 which disqualified undischarged bankrupts from eligibility for election to or membership of the Dáil and European Parliament.

In 2010, the Group of States Against Corruption, known as GRECO, published a report on political party funding in Ireland. In December 2013, a final report on the implementation of the recommendations of GRECO was published. It recognised that the regulation and transparency of political funding in Ireland had greatly improved and stated that virtually all concerns raised by GRECO had been taken on board. In February 2014, the first EU anti-corruption report was published by the European Commission. It noted that Ireland had tightened the rules on the financing of political parties and promoted greater transparency as regards party accounts. The report also acknowledged the positive assessment given by the Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption.

The Electoral (Amendment) Act 2011, enacted in July 2011, provided for a reduction in the number of Dáil Deputies to 158 at the next election. It further provided that the writ for a Dáil by-election must now be issued within six months of a vacancy occurring rather than continuing the position in the past whereby such vacancies were rarely filled. During the lifetime of the previous Dáil there were many delays in the calling of by-elections. The spending limits for presidential elections have also been reduced from €1.3 million to €750,000, while the maximum reimbursement payment to candidates was reduced from €260,000 to €200,000. The Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 brought into force restrictions on corporate donations and considerable reductions in the maximum amount a political party or individual can accept as a political donation, reduced the donation reporting thresholds, and banned the receipt of all cash donations over €200. The Act introduced a new requirement that to qualify for full State funding, a party must meet a certain gender condition. Qualifying political parties must have at least 30% female candidates as well as 30% male candidates in the next general election, which will rise to 40% after seven years. If a party does not meet these thresholds, its funding will be halved.

In relation to concerns that Deputy Cowen and Deputy Stanley raised on the register of electors and other matters, we are examining the establishment of an electoral commission. I expect that to be in place between now and the next general election. The use of PPS numbers is one of the initiatives that is often suggested as a means to improve the register. It has been recommended by the joint committee. While PPS numbers and other unique identifiers could assist the registration authorities in ensuring the register of electors is as accurate as possible, there are a number of issues we should take into account. It is unlikely that the existing PPS database could populate the electoral register with PPS numbers due to the lack of matching identifiers between the two databases. There are approximately 7 million PPS numbers in the State, whereas the population is 4.5 million. There is a problem there. The PPS system does not necessarily capture the current residence of a voter or a person's citizenship status, which are essential for electoral registration purposes. However, it does make a contribution to the accuracy of the electoral register. The need to make the electoral registration process more accurate and up to date is a bone of contention on all sides of the House. We must find a way to do it, in which regard the Government is open to suggestions from across the House to maximise the accuracy of the electoral register and to ensure the issues identified by Deputy Stanley are actually dealt with. I hope they will not all have Northern accents going around Portlaoise at election time. We would not do that, would we?

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