Joe O'Toole (Independent)

In light of current whisperings from the Cabinet table, do we need to deal with this amendment at this time? Is it superfluous? There is a strong view that Senators will not need to take advantage of free post anymore. Should we go through with the amendment?

This facility is provided via registered post and it was put in place in 1937. Communications are required under the Act to be sent by registered post but there is no need for that. Various options are available nowadays. The Minister spoke at length about the importance of using new innovative ways but he is about to set in stone a system that has been in place for 70 years. This is contrary to the vision articulated by him yesterday. Under the current legislation, election literature must be sent by registered post. This means that it must be signed for when it reaches its destination. When a postman, therefore, arrives at apartment No. 46, No. 4 New Road, Anytown, and no one is there because everyone is at work, he or she will leave a note in the door saying the registered letter is at the delivery office awaiting collection. That is the only way the postman can deal with the letter. Consequently, people wonder whether they need to go to the trouble of collecting the post and voting and, therefore, the returns are low. Will the Minister consider ensuring an option other than registered post is offered?

Registered post also creates additional work and costs for everyone involved. Is payment required or is there a cash transfer? I understand money is involved at some point and costs in connection with this are assigned. Registered post is much more expensive. There are a number of in-between operations that are not quite registered post. Could we approach this in a different way?