Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 516: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of electronic machines which were purchased by his Department for electronic voting; the locations at which these machines are stored and the numbers at each location; the tendering process that was entered into in order to find warehouse storage for these machines; the name and location of the successful persons or companies for their storage facilities; the annual cost per location for these storage facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3471/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The procurement of appropriate secure storage accommodation for electronic voting machines and ancillary equipment is the responsibility of returning officers, who are statutorily charged with conducting elections and referenda. Details in relation to voting machines and information provided to my Department by returning officers concerning storage arrangements, are set out in the following table.

My Department did not seek detailed information on ownership of premises used by returning officers for storage purposes and does not have this information on a comprehensive basis. However, a number of returning officers have also included such information and this is set out in the following table. In the future, it will be important to ensure that the necessary storage facilities are provided as economically and cost efficiently as possible, and my Department will work with the relevant interests to this end.