Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Even if they are not here, I assure Senator Ross that I will be backing him on this issue.

I have met many people who know they will be away for a period during May or June. They are upset at the prospect that they will not be able to vote in the upcoming general election. Would the Leader ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to look at the possibility of allowing those who are away on holiday or on business to vote by postal vote or to allow them vote before they leave the country? We have established in law the principle of postal votes for members of the Army and the Garda, and now for prisoners. I do not think a huge amount of imagination or flexibility would be needed to allow people to vote in an election if they have bona fide evidence that they will be away on polling day. It could be done simply by establishing polling stations in local authority head offices or by extending the postal vote principle to include such people. Many people I meet in my constituency make the point that the forthcoming general election will be the third consecutive election to be held during the summer months, when people are more likely to be away, and therefore it would make sense to allow people who are away to use postal votes. I ask the Leader and her colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to consider this proposal to see whether something can be done, even at this late stage, to make this necessary change to electoral law.

The Dáil will debate the report of the Moriarty tribunal later today. When does the Leader envisage this House will have such a debate?