Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

At this stage there are many fishermen and fishermen organisations agitating and planning a campaign for a "No" vote for the Lisbon treaty referendum - which I personally regret - because of disenchantment with Europe. I raise the question of debating the fisheries, particularly with a view to the Common Fisheries Policy, which is currently being renegotiated. I can never understand why the fishing community, which has an important role to play in this country, has never been involved in social partnership talks. Farmers are involved but fishermen have been excluded, which is also a sore point. I can understand their current anxiety.

I ask the Leader to support a call for a debate on the electoral register. I have been struck off twice from the register, and I found out in January this year that I was not on the register for voting this year. I am not alone in this and many others have been affected. Notice should be served to such people as we have a constitutional right to vote; anybody being struck off should be given the requisite notice.

The electoral register is an absolute sham and arising from the debate on electoral reform, we must make the register much more accurate. In a survey in my small home town, some 85 people were on the register who should not have been, with one person having been dead for nine years. In this modern technological age, there should be a better system. The issue was raised in previous weeks and although it is not urgent and will not be required before summer, we need an open and frank debate on the matter.

I was struck off the register twice and in the 1980s it cost me a vote in three elections, which I was bitter about. The register should be much more accurate in this modern age of information technology achievements.