Seanad debates

Wednesday, 18 June 2003

We had the result of the Kelly case on the last day of campaigning. This resulted in a fundamental change in how the Act was interpreted and in a huge burden being imposed not only on the commission but on the candidates and their agents. The commission admits it encountered difficulties with the procedure for contacting election agents. In some cases it was obvious to everyone that not all concerned were sure what an agent was or of his or her statutory duties and responsibilities. It had problems in getting clear information from the candidates and the returning officers in regard to the agents. The instruction literature, as the Minister of State said, was a 58 page document. I think that was the first volume; we received a couple of volumes during the election campaign. It is understandable that these things happened. While the instructions were not complicated, they were bulky and contained a large amount of information. It is easy to understand how somebody could unintentionally miss an important point or instruction through human error.

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