Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

The most positive aspect of this debate is it has highlighted the importance of being on the register for the wider population. Transition year students in inner city schools in Dublin are discussing why they should register and vote and what happens when they register. The turnout at local and national level has reduced over successive elections and education is an issue. People must be encouraged to vote. It was suggested people should be obliged to vote but that would not work. Our democracy has been stable for ten or 11 years and we should not interfere in this regard.

According to the most recent statistics, 380,000 names have been added to the register with more than 500,000 corrections and deletions made since February. That will make a significant difference at the next election. Electoral fraud has been perpetrated on a wide scale in my constituency over successive elections. Politicians have talked around this issue for a long time and nobody has tackled it head on. That is why the Minister will be thanked in time for the work being done on the electoral register. Stories have been told anecdotally of van loads of people travelling from polling station to polling station on election day, handfuls of registration cards being taken from apartment blocks in Dublin and people being registered at addresses with no connection to the area who turn up on the day to vote. At the last general election in my constituency, a person who had passed away voted twice. Unscrupulous people took advantage of the confusion over the register. However, the most important outcome of this debate is that people will be aware of the significance of being on the register and voting.

Local authorities have done a great deal of work on the register this year. I have been canvassing at all hours of the evening, particularly at apartments blocks, and it is extremely difficult to gain access because the people pay a premium for security to keep people out.