Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

It is the greatest gap. The rate collectors only go to business premises now. They were the real heroes as they knew when a certain boy or girl was approaching 18 years of age. The names would be put down on the register. There was no disruptive element at that time and it seemed to work reasonably well. When people do not get their vote, they turn on whoever is at the station, arguing that they should be on the register. They should of course be on it, but they are not. Computers are capricious things, as some people may be 14 years on the register and be removed for no reason other than some malfunction within the system. There may be no explanation for it.

If people put in their names now on the register, there is no need for the attestation of gardaí, or the affidavit, which comes later. The process is open until the first week in November, when the draft register will issue. Between November and February, there is a period where attestation will be required. From then on, once the register comes out in February and once the election is called, nobody will be included unless a garda has stamped a document indicating that a person lives at a particular address. The process gets progressively more difficult, which I favour. If there is any element of impersonation, it would go on in the latter periods.

I commend the amendment and I hope we get working on the matter. There were many fine elements mentioned by Fine Gael. Senator Finucane spoke of good students, bright and intelligent young women and men, who would be very good at going around between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. getting the register in order. We have been talking forever about it and we should on with it.