Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I support Senator O'Toole's comments on the fishing industry. Recently the Minister and representatives of the industry addressed the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when they outlined their concerns very strongly. We discussed the issue in this House and hoped the Minister would come here in advance of the December talks in order that we could ask him questions. We are entering a critical juncture for the industry.

Based on personal experience at the last general election, I am strongly in favour of electronic voting. In the past returning officers mistakenly failed to frank voting papers placed in the ballot box which were later declared invalid. This is unsatisfactory. There is no subsequent way to investigate from where those unmarked papers came or which returning officer made the basic error. The people concerned are usually appointed for election after election. Electronic voting is important, provided it is done in a humane way with regards to the dissemination of results. Anybody who has been subject to a recount knows the emotional trauma and the wringer through which everybody is put. The victors joyfully retire to the nearest hostelry, while the other candidates must remain for the entire saga. It is for this reason that I favour electronic voting.

The surprising, farcical aspect of this issue is that the Department of the Environment and Local Government commissioned a report, the results of which it proceeded to rubbish.