Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch. I welcome also the recent consultation paper published by the Minister, Deputy Kelly, on the establishment of the electoral commission. I watched some of the debate from my office and I was pleased to see many colleagues on the Fianna Fáil benches distancing themselves somewhat from the contribution made earlier by Senator MacSharry, who was very critical of everything to do with the establishment of this commission. There were bodies established previously that reported and produced good documents, but nothing happened. The Minister has given a clear indication here today that he is proceeding cautiously but with intent, and only good can come from that.

Our democracy is precious to us and as Senator Ó Murchú said, our democracy was hard won. The system we have in place has served us well through the decades, and we judge that by the clean transfer of power from one Administration to the next after every election since the foundation of the State. However, time has passed and our systems need reforming and improving, and that is the purpose of this electoral commission.

Much has been spoken today about the need to do something about the register. It is not rocket science. We have never had better technology available to us than we have now. We do not want to start a debate on whether we should use voting machines or stick with the old peann luaidhe, but surely we can devise a system that will ensure all our people can be registered in an accurate manner, thereby ensuring that the integrity of the ballot box is protected.

Registers in rural areas in particular are generally very accurate. There might be the odd case where the name of a person who has passed away or somebody who has emigrated recently is still on the register, but the urban registers are very inaccurate because people are more mobile in towns. They often move from one address to another. Some people ensure they are registered to vote; others are not so conscientious. The issue of the register needs to be addressed. I am not sure whether the local authorities have the resources to carry out that function in a timely fashion. In previous years rent collectors played a vital role in compiling that information. That is still done in some areas where local authorities are collecting rents.

The key issue that needs to be addressed is ensuring that the commission is independent from Government while still being accountable to Government, with formal reporting arrangements and other mechanisms for accountability.

The review referred to functions which should be transferred from existing bodies involved in electoral administration, including the returning officers at local level, the franchise section in the Department, the Constituency Commission in terms of the review of local area boundaries, and the new commission's relationship with the Standards in Public Office Commission.

The Minister said that the cost of running elections and referenda is expensive, therefore, we need to examine whether we are doing that in the most efficient and effective manner. We are dealing with public moneys, and we need to ensure we are doing that in the most effective manner.

Much has been spoken about the public's involvement in the electoral process. The number of people who turn out to vote varies from election to election but the figure is in decline in recent years. The ease with which people can exercise their electoral franchise must be examined. With the technology that is available it should be possible to ensure that if students are away from their constituency on polling day, they can still cast their vote. If somebody is away from the constituency on business, they should not be deprived of the opportunity to exercise their franchise. That is an area we need to examine.

In terms of the technology, we can now pay our bills online and by using our mobile phones. We can transfer moneys overseas from our accounts. We can do many things now with the technology that is available. As a lay person, I believe it would be a nice project for some entrepreneurial person to devise a system for us where a person can cast their vote on polling day irrespective of where they are in the country. However, we must have a system that can verify the person whose name is on the register, perhaps by way of a link to their PPS or other security number. It is doable.

I welcome what the Minister is trying to do. I urge him to keep to his indication earlier that heads of a Bill will be ready by later this year and that legislation will be put in place the following year that will bring the electoral commission on-stream. That will allow us to modernise our electoral system and everything associated with what is one of the foundations of our democracy, our voting system. I wish the Minister well in his endeavours.