Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 5, before section 1, to insert the following new section:

"1.—This Act (other than Part 3) shall not come into operation until such time as the Commission established by Part 3 certifies that the other provisions of this Act are in accordance with the highest standards of transparency and accountability and safeguard fully the integrity and privacy of the voting process in a verifiable manner.".

I welcome to the House the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gallagher. I also welcome the opportunity to debate this critical Bill in light of the major fiasco in respect of how the Government does business and conducts elections. The public's confidence in the system has been shattered to a point which is extremely worrying.

The issue should have been handled with care and sensitivity in a professional manner. However, experts in IT, Opposition spokespersons and the members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government, who debated the issue at some length, advised and contributed, were criticised and knocked by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen. At some stages they were accused of scaremongering, which was not the case. The electronic voting commission's report has vindicated the many fine contributions made in various fora by those people.

From the outset, this issue should have been dealt with by an all-party Oireachtas committee in a similar manner to the committee on land prices, chaired by Deputy O'Donovan. That is what happens when consensus politics prevails and a common sense approach is taken by a Minister. It is also what happens at Government level when a decent attempt is made to introduce good legislation or examine an area which needs tighter or newer controls. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in regard to this matter.

In a stubborn and deliberate manner, the Minister refused point blank on a number of occasions to listen to the advice put forward by many interested and qualified parties. This has led to an undermining of the electoral system. The Minister has now spent in excess of €52 million on e-voting. This is a large sum of money which could be well spent in other critical areas. One need only look at the health service and the many hospitals bursting at the seams and in need of funding.

We have yet to be convinced, as we were in respect of the Minister's case on e-voting, in regard to its cost. Mr. Joe McCarthy has pioneered the argument that these machines, which are now in storage across the country, may very well be obsolete and of no real benefit to this country if we take up the mantle of e-voting and the commission decides we should do so.

Is it fair to waste €52 million on an issue as notorious as this at any time? If this happened in private industry, the manager responsible would be shown the door quicker than his or her feet could touch the ground. It is a failing of the Taoiseach to allow the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to continue in his Department.

I understand the purpose of this Bill is to indemnify the commission in respect of its next report, which I welcome. I pay tribute to the members of the committee for the brave way in which they deliberated and for their result, which reflected the long hours of hard work expended by them. I urge the Minister of State to examine this amendment and the points which will be raised by Senator Quinn, whose amendment No. 4 is being discussed with it.