Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1053: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on whether having to visit more than one post office to get a voter registration application form and subsequently having to make a visit to the Garda station with identification to be included on the supplementary voting register is a disincentive to people registering to vote; and if he has proposals to change this system in view of the fact that the old system of visiting each house to check the applicants no longer applies. [10033/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The compilation and publication of the register of electors is a matter for the appropriate local authority in accordance with electoral law and involves the carrying out of house-to-house or other local inquiries, including in many cases delivering registration forms to households for completion. In addition, application forms for inclusion on the register of electors, or the supplement to the register, are widely available from local authorities, post offices, Garda stations and public libraries, and increasingly may be accessed via local authority websites.

In making voter registration as accessible as possible, it is important to have appropriate measures in place to guard against potential personation or abuse of the electoral system. It is, therefore, a legal requirement that completed application forms for inclusion on the supplement to the register of electors are witnessed by a member of the Garda Síochána before being returned to the appropriate local authority. If a person cannot attend the local Garda station, his or her application may be witnessed by an official of the local authority. If, because of a physical illness or disability, a person cannot attend either the local Garda station or the local authority, his or her application form can be accompanied by a medical certificate.

I am concerned to ensure that the legislative and administrative arrangements in place regarding registration are as flexible and user-friendly as possible consistent with maintaining the security and integrity of the electoral process. While I will continue to keep current practice under review, I am satisfied that the present arrangements strike a reasonable balance.