Mary Henry (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State and the Bill. Regarding the establishment of a new draft electoral register, none of us could have believed that the register was in the mess it proved to be. I am glad that the Minister took the initiative by trying to address the matter before the next election and that he gave the facilities and money to local authorities to do so.

We should ensure that local authorities do not allow the register to become such a mess again because, by law, they are responsible for it. That many dead people are still on the register and others are registered at different addresses or in two locations is a serious issue. The methods used by some local authorities, such as examining newspapers to determine who has died, are not good enough. For example, they should examine the deaths register, be more efficient and report on their progress to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

From the universities' registers, which have experienced many problems due to people failing to alert changes of address, I know how difficult and expensive this process can be. People need to be encouraged to realise that their votes are of significant value and that they should be involved in the democratic process of an election. They should try to inform the local authorities or the universities' registrars of their addresses. That many people seem to be acting casually is disappointing.

Senator Bannon referred to the electronic voting machines, which are in cold storage. We would be better off selling them. I do not agree with the Taoiseach that, by going on with our pencil and paper system, we would be the laughing stock of Europe. Giving amusement to fellow Europeans should not be of concern because ours is a good and open system. The most technologically advanced country in the world, the United States of America, has a seat hanging in the balance——