Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Office of the Ceann Comhairle for affording me the opportunity to raise this issue with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan. Members will be aware that persons not on the voting register may apply to register on the supplementary voting register up to 15 days before polling day. Sundays, public holidays and Good Friday are not counted as days for this purpose. I am aware of recent abuses in this regard that occurred in the local electoral area in my constituency. Persons were added to the register through the supplementary registration system and assigned to vacant addresses. I am confident these people switched their votes from their home areas to the area in question to support a particular candidate, despite the fact that, in reality, they never lived there, nor will live there in the future. Any person who applies to register to vote through the supplementary register should be required to forward with his application a document with proof of address. This could be a bill, bank statement or other evidence normally required to prove one's address. This move would stamp out the abuse which I believe led to up to 20 to 30 people voting in a particular electoral area when they should have registered elsewhere.

The second issue I wish to raise is the application process for persons who seek a postal vote because of their occupation. In the Ballinamore municipal electoral area of County Leitrim during the recent local elections, 406 applications were received for postal votes. The vast majority were received for reasons associated with people’s occupations. Of the 406 applicants, 368 voted, with 365 casting a valid vote. I am still asking what happened to the remaining 40 plus.

I believe a number of applications came from people who were living and continue to live in Australia, Canada and the United States. It is clear that these people did not make the applications themselves and that the applications were made by people acting for a particular candidate in the local election area. With regard to one candidate I know who delivered the unmarked ballot paper to the returning officer, the parent of the applicant was bewildered and could not understand how his or her son could have a postal vote considering that he has resided in Australia for the past two years.

I am not advocating that we suspend postal votes for persons who cannot vote due to their occupation but proposing that the Minister review the application process and ensure that a garda or authorised local government official will personally witness the application by a person rather than allowing an application form to be sent in from nowhere.

Why did 40 applicants in the Ballinamore area of County Leitrim not proceed to cast their votes?

I can only suspect that once the list of voters was published and the Garda authorities were notified, attempts by some persons to vote on behalf of others did not go ahead. I urge the Minister to review these two issues and consider changes to prevent the abuse of democracy that may have happened at May's local elections.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy McLoughlin for raising this very important issue, which is of interest to us all. In law, the preparation of the register of electors, including the supplement to the register, is a matter for each local registration authority. It is their duty to ensure, as far as possible and with the co-operation of the public, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the register. It is also important that all eligible voters are enabled to vote whenever there are elections or referendums. Eligible voters who are not on the register may apply for inclusion in the supplement to the register. In order to be able to vote at any impending elections or referendums, a person must apply for inclusion in the supplement no later than 15 days before the next polling day, excluding Sundays and public holidays. As Deputy McLoughlin noted, each application for inclusion in the supplement must be signed in the presence of a member of An Garda Síochána from the applicant's local Garda station. The garda must be satisfied as to the person's identity before signing the application and may request identification.

Some 3.2 million voters were on the register of electors at the recent elections. This included 59,758 names added by way of the supplement to the register in advance of the elections. I am conscious of the frustration of many electors who find they are not on the register of electors when they go to a polling station and, of course, there are others who are on the register of electors who are unexpectedly there.

In regard to the supplement to the postal and special voters' lists, I was satisfied to have the opportunity last year to include a provision in the Electoral, Local Government and Planning Development Act 2013 to allow more time for making an application for inclusion in these lists in advance of impending elections and referenda. Previously, it was a requirement that all such applications had to be made in the two-day period after the making of the relevant polling day order. This was unnecessarily tight in the case of referenda and presidential, European and local elections. Under new arrangements applications for inclusion in the supplement to the postal and special voters' lists can now be made up to 22 days before the next polling day.

Returns received from registration authorities by my Department indicate that 9,278 names were included on the supplement to the postal and special voters lists in advance of the recent local and European elections. These, of course, would already have been on the register of electors.

I agree with Deputy McLoughlin it is a matter which is a constant source of frustration to participants in the electoral process as well as voters themselves. I am, of course, anxious to make the necessary changes in the short term to ensure that in future elections we will be able to tighten up the process and eliminate some of the anomalies that are identified by Deputy McLoughlin.

Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister. In the review that will take place, I ask that presiding officers in the local authorities are the ones called upon as they are the people on the ground. In a review situation, I believe they should be consulted at local authority level because they are hands-on and know exactly what is happening. While I welcome the Minister's statement, it is vital a review takes place in regard to the anomalies that exist at present.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I have listened with interest to the points made by Deputy McLoughlin. I assure him I share his concern about some of the anomalies that are cropping up too frequently in elections, particularly the need to identify the people who are registering, either directly in the formal electoral register process or through the supplementary register. We are looking at the use of PPS numbers as one of the initiatives which is often suggested to improve the register. While PPS numbers or any other unique identifier could assist the registration authorities in ensuring the register of electors is as accurate as possible, there are a number of issues that crop up and which we will have to consider before we go down that road.

I also remind the Deputy that the programme for Government commits us to the establishment of an electoral commission, and we are going to establish that electoral commission in 2015. This matter will be addressed by the Houses of the Oireachtas in appropriate time for them to make these suggestions again. Hopefully, we will be able to reflect the concerns the Deputy has expressed. We will be glad to enlist the support and experience of the local authorities and the presiding officers in the various polling stations throughout the country in order to find what is the best way to ensure we have a good register of electors in which people can be confident. They must have the confidence that what is in the register of electors and the voters registered there is fair and as accurate as possible. These are the matters that will be appropriate for consideration by the electoral commission in advance of the next general election.