Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State. I should have referred to the following and I had hoped somebody else might have done so. In amendment No. 12, which is quite detailed, references are made to people who should be eligible to vote. There is a view, which has been gaining ground over the past number of years, that the process under which people are eligible to vote is restrictive. Other jurisdictions, in particular the UK, have introduced many new initiatives to try to get as many people as possible to vote on election day. Recent elections here have shown a decline, admittedly a small one, in the national turnout. It is part of the modern society in which we live.

Amendment No. 12 states, at paragraph (b), subsection (4):

For the purposes of this section 'holiday or travel commitments' shall be deemed to include those which prove a person had purchased, or purchased by someone else, in their name for a date which would render it likely that he or she will be unable to go in person on polling day to vote at the polling place for the polling district, and for which proof is provided that that person will be returning to the State within a maximum of three months of their travel date.

That is long, involved and complex but the principle behind trying to ensure we ease as many restrictive measures as possible to encourage people to vote should be encouraged. I will be interested in the Minister of State's view on that.