James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I support the amendment and I agree with the sentiments expressed by Senator McCarthy. The Minister is director of elections for Fianna Fáil and that represents a conflict of interest. Under the code of conduct for local authority members, they must declare their interests in absolutely everything before they even attend a local authority meeting. During the run up to the last general election, the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Noel Dempsey, was involved in promoting the public relations campaign for the new e-voting system in the Meath constituency, where he was also a candidate. Perhaps there was nothing wrong with that, but the public did not look on it as totally transparent.

We have two cases in four years where successive Ministers for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government have been involved in something that the public sees as a little dubious. It is important that this amendment is accepted. I do not question the character of the Ministers involved but it did not look good in the eyes of the public that a Minister was involved in a public relations campaign while promoting himself as a candidate in a particular constituency. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government was appointed director of elections by the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach was a little naive to appoint him director of elections given his involvement in promoting the electronic voting system. I am thankful this system has fallen and I am disappointed the Minister has not fallen with it.