Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is another glorious administrative blunder. We saw the two flights that were delayed in the past number of months but the fact that members of the Defence Forces received their postal votes the day before the elections meant they could not exercise their right to vote. Some members who were overseas could not vote. I know that some wives and partners of members of the Defence Forces mentioned that at the count centre, photographs of boxes of ballot boxes were taken on Monday after the elections and were not sent. As the Minister of State is aware, members of the Defence Forces were unable to take part in many of the protests and are not allowed to join a union or strike but one thing they value is their right to democratic accountability in respect of their local and European election candidate. The fact that there is a review, there has been a probable breach of the Electoral Act and the democratic system and people who wanted to exercise their democratic right to vote were prevented from doing so is an alarming development that needs very serious examination by the Minister of State and his Department. It is another blow to morale under the Minister of State's watch in the context of the overall exodus from our Defence Forces.

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