Katherine Zappone (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. I appreciate the opportunity to have an exchange with her. However, with respect, I also draw your attention, a Chathaoirligh, to the fact that this is my third Commencement matter since the year began and I have not yet been able to get the relevant Minister or even the relevant Minister of State to respond to the matters I have raised. I am aware of the organisational difficulties involved and that the relevant Ministers are currently in the Dáil. In registering my disappointment I wish to say that I would be willing to wait for the matter to be dealt with until the next opportunity.

That said, I will now address the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. I am aware that she is committed to encouraging civic engagement, which is essential to achieving functioning democracy. I have asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to outline his Department's strategy to mobilise those not currently on the register of electors to get on the supplementary register to be able to vote in the forthcoming referenda. I am aware that the date has not been officially set by An Taoiseach, although he has indicated 22 May could be the polling date. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government cannot sign the polling day order until the relevant legislation has been passed by the Oireachtas, and that citizens will have until 15 days before the polling day, excluding Sundays and public holidays to register to vote in the referendum. I wish to highlight the importance of an effective information campaign by the Government to advise citizens who are not on the register of electors on how to get on the supplementary register during the short period that this option is still available.

If the referenda do take place on 22 May, the cut-off date is less than two months away. The reason I raise the matter now is because I wish to instil a sense of urgency in the Government as well as to request some innovative thinking in terms of how the information campaign can be conducted. Getting people on the voting register can be at least as critical if not more so than anything else we do in terms of the campaign on either side of the equation. The youth vote is especially critical for democracy to thrive and for the Constitution to evolve in harmony with society. To achieve that, we need to hear from the young about what kind of Ireland they want to live in. I am sure the Minister of State is aware that 30% of those aged 18 to 25 were not registered to vote in the European and local elections held in May 2014. That is 4% higher than five years earlier. A political disconnect is especially evident among 18 to 21 year olds given that 43% of the age group is not registered to vote. That percentage has increased from 36% in 2009. Eight out of ten young people did not vote in the previous referendum.

I hope to hear that the Government is going to do all it can, especially to ensure young people are aware of what they need to do to secure a vote. The marriage equality referendum and the referendum on the minimum age requirement for one to stand for the Presidency should be seen as an opportunity to engage with young citizens. We could also be inspired by the engagement with democracy in Scotland last year where a record number of people registered to vote in the Scottish independence referendum. In Scotland a total of 97% of the adult population registered to vote.

The Union of Students in Ireland, USI, student unions and civil society organisation are working tirelessly to mobilise people to vote. They are now moving to get people on the supplementary register. However, the Government must provide leadership on the issue and perhaps some financial support as the resources of those organisations are limited. I would like to hear from the Government about new strategies to encourage young people in particular to partake in this democratic process.