Michael Brennan (Fianna Fail)

I too welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his address. I also acknowledge the address of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, to the environment committee some weeks ago. I also welcome electronic voting. Many of the questions, such as those asked by Senator McCarthy, were asked at that committee and everything bar the kitchen sink has been thrown at the Minister since. However, from the replies given by the Minister and the Minister of State, I have confidence that this system is workable.

When the election is over, the electorate will ask what all the fuss was about. It is nice to see Ireland moving in the right direction byimproving voting and counting systems. We all acknowledge the fine job done by returning officers and staff who have run elections over the years. Ministers for the Environment have been responsible for elections and we mustacknowledge that no questions have ever been asked about an election and nothing has finished up in court. It is wrong to state that the current Minister, who happens to be a member of the Fianna Fáil Party, could rig the votes or introduce a system which could transfer votes from one party to another. The machines are stand-alone and the modules from them are treatedindependently — it is not the same system as an ATM machine, which is open to the electronic airways.