Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time".

Molaim an Bille seo don Teach. Is é an polasaí atá leis an mBille seo ná go mbeadh an vótáil ar na hoileáin ar an lá céanna leis an mórthír. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach mar, ar ndóigh, is as Contae Chorcaí é. Le blianta fada anuas, bíonn an toghchán ar na hoileáin i gCorcaigh ar an lá céanna leis an mórthír. Tá ceann de na hoileáin sin - Cléire - chomh fada amach ón gcósta agus atá aon oileán in Éirinn. Chomh maith leis sin, d'fhéadfaí a rá nach bhfuil na saoráidí céanna ó thaobh iompair nó rochtain de ann agus atá ar chuid de na hoileáin a mbíonn an vótáil ar an lá roimhe.

Agus mé ag moladh an Bhille seo, thóg mé san áireamh na hathruithe ollmhóra atá tagtha ar chúrsaí iompair sa tír seo agus an nósmhaireacht a húsáideadh sa toghchán deiridh. Tá ceithre chontae in Éirinn agus ceithre Dháilcheantar go bhfuil oileáin iontu: Corcaigh Thiar-Theas, áit le fada an lá, mar a dúirt mé, go mbíonn na toghchán ar an lá céanna leis an mórthír; Gaillimh Thiar, áit a bhfuil ceithre oileán agus os cionn leath de dhaonra na n-oileán agus áit a bhíonn an vótáil an lá roimhe; Maigh Eo, áit a raibh an vótáil an lá roimhe an t-am seo; agus Tír Chonaill, áit a mbíodh an vótáil cúpla lá roimhe go dtí an t-am seo.

Tá cás Chontae Dhún na nGall thar a bheith spéisiúil mar ag an toghchán deiridh ba é an tAerchór, de réir mar a thuigim, a thug amach na boscaí agus a thug isteach iad ó na hoileáin - beartas ciallmhar stuama. I gcás oileáin Árann, tá eitleán ann agus, ar ndóigh, tá seirbhís báid ann agus ní raibh fadhb ar bith na boscaí a fháil go dtí na hionaid vótála. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go dtuigfimid gur ceist chearta daonna atá i gceist anseo. Ceann de na bunchearta is mór ar troideadh ar a son thar na blianta fada ná go mbeadh vótáil ag saoránaigh na tíre seo. I gcás na n-oileán, níl an vóta céanna nó an deis vótála céanna acu agus is atá ag daoine ar an mórthír agus tá muid ag iarraidh é sin a chur ina ceart leis an mBille simplí seo.

Is é leagan amach an Bhille ná breathnú ar chuid den reachtaíocht toghcháin agus aon tagairt atá ann do vóta a bheith ar lá roimh an chuid eile den tír a bhaint as an reachtaíocht sin ach deis a fhágáil, mar gur nós é i gcás ar a laghad péire de na hoileáin i dTír Chonaill, go bhféadfadh lá níos gaire a bheith ann. Tarlaíonn sé seo, mar shampla, ar Inis Fraoigh, áit nach bhfuil ach b'fhéidir ceathrar nó cúigear ag vótáil agus an rud céanna ar Ghola.

I can imagine the advice the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, is receiving, but I hope he is not taking it. I have often criticised the Minister's policies, but I have found him very amenable to listening to the House in terms of legislation. A number of Bills were passed by the previous Dáil, such as the Animal Health and Welfare Act, where the Minister listened to reasoned arguments from the Opposition and took them board.

This Bill seeks to provide for same-day voting on the islands, as happens on the mainland. The reason voting takes place on the islands one, two or three days before voting takes place on the mainland is because in the distant past access to the islands was very difficult.

The Minister is from Cork and is no doubt aware that for many years islands such as Oileán Chléire, which was quite a distance from the coast and did not have the same type of piers as the Aran Islands or Inishbofin, always had same day voting and managed, miraculously, to transfer the boxes. I accept that Bere Island is very near inshore, as are Whiddy Island and others, but the Minister will accept that Oileán Chléire is as remote as any of the other islands when piers and ferry services are taken into account.

Notwithstanding the fact that Cork could transfer boxes, the Galway, Mayo and Donegal islands are still on a system of previous day voting. One is spoilt for choice in the Aran Islands in terms of air and boat services.

The issue of fog is constantly thrown in our faces. I understand the Minister is interested in sailing. As he knows if there is fog the water is calm and, therefore, boats can sail with no problem whatsoever. The reality is that there is more chance that boxes cannot be transported out of Wicklow than from islands.

It is also interesting to note what happened in Donegal during the last election, where the air corps was used to transfer boxes. The cost was absolutely minimal and I presume the decision was taken by the returning officer. This happened despite previous day voting having taken place.

In Oileán Ghabhla and Inis Fraoigh voting does not go on for a full day, something Deputy Pearse Doherty can confirm. Therefore, it is very easy to get the boxes off the islands. In the case where the Air Corps was used, the election took place during the winter and there was no problem transferring boxes to the count centre before 9 a.m.

The current provision is archaic and out of date. I have included the provision relating to the Donegal islands in my Bill because I have heard nobody complaining about the procedure there. I understand on one island the electorate comprises four or six people and on the other it is up to 20, and they have no difficulty with short day voting.

I ask for commonsense to prevail. It is very important to recognise what the lack of this procedure is doing. In order to facilitate people in rural areas, in particular, most elections now take place on a Friday - for many years general elections have taken place on a Friday. The reason is that many people in universities or institutes of technology around the country or those working away from Roscommon, Galway or wherever want, quite legitimately and as they are so entitled, to vote in their home constituency. People could leave work or a third level institution at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. on a Friday evening and return to one's home county in time to vote.

If one is studying in Dublin, for example, one can return to Kildare or Meath quite easily. However, if a high proportion of an island population worked or studied on the mainland during the week it would be very difficult in most cases to travel back to an island on a weekday. As we see every weekend, a large number of island residents return from places of study or work to their homes on the islands where they wish to vote.

That is not possible if they have to vote a day early on a Thursday and it means that, above all communities in the country, it is hard to get a high turnout on the islands. The Bill seeks to ensure that this discrimination and barrier to turnout on the islands is removed in a simple way and that we ensure, using all the modern technology, ferry boats, aeroplanes and other facilities to be put in place, that we give the same basic rights to islanders as are afforded to everyone else in the country.

The most fundamental right gained through our independence was the right, through the ballot, to elect our own Oireachtas, to change our Constitution through referendum and directly to elect our President. To discommode any citizen by making it more difficult for him or her to vote is wrong. I hope the Bill is accepted and that we have all-party agreement on it. I hope that we can all agree to move forward together to ensure that off-shore islanders have the same electoral rights as those who live on the mainland.

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