Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments. I recognise that this is a very busy time of the year for the Tidy Towns committees and everyone is putting their best foot forward. They want to make their town or village more attractive. For as long as I have been involved in politics, there has been a debate around posters. Personally, I would not lose any sleep if no posters were put up, but I recognise that first-time candidates want to get their face out there and I can see why they are needed. It is part of our democratic process, so I am not going to wade into any debate on that one. It has long been a tradition in Irish politics. It was only after midnight on Tuesday that we saw all of the posters going up. They look very fresh and nice at the minute in the good weather. There are clear time periods during which posters are allowed before an election, as well as regulations specifying how quickly they have to be taken down after an election. That is set down in legislation. I encourage people to operate within the timeframe. Those putting up the posters should ensure that, when they are being taken down, the cable ties are taken down with them, because that is a torture for the Tidy Towns committees.

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