Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

Senator Brian Hayes, Leader of the Opposition, asked whether there could be a question and answer session at the end of the debate on the report of the Laffoy commission. I will have to make inquiries about that, because the difficulty is I do not know what Minister is coming to the House. The Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Dempsey, is attending Committee Stage of the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003 today. However, I will make inquiries. I understand such a session did take place in the Dáil.

Senator Hayes commented that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is in charge of electronic voting and will also be director of elections for Fianna Fáil. We are delighted he is director of elections as he will make a good campaign manager. He is also in charge of voting matters. I understand electronic voting was debated and demonstrated at the Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government. I presume there are Senators on that committee and that they attended the demonstration and debate. I accept that difficulties still remain as well as loss of confidence regarding it. It is being launched in the Mansion House this morning at 11.15 a.m. We would like to hear an account of the demonstration and their views on it from Members of this Chamber who are on the Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government. It would be a good idea to invite the Minister for the Environment to address the House and I will request this. Many people in my constituency have spoken to me on the subject over the last two weeks. It may be that they are nervous about it. Research shows that far from older people being nonplussed about electronic voting, the opposite is the case. They are quite au fait with the prospect and feel they can manage it. Anyway, we will invite the Minister to address the House. On the paper trail, a receipt for one's vote as it goes through the system would reassure people.

On crime, Senator O'Toole mentioned there were 200 early releases. The most notorious of them are reoffending more or less immediately. That in itself sounds a cautionary note against early prison releases. The Senator asked for a general debate on crime and the prisons. We have that on the agenda. It is a question of when the Minister is available.