Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 85: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of public money spent to date on the storage of electronic voting equipment; if he is satisfied that appropriate guidelines are in place governing the allocation of contracts for the storage of such equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16338/05]

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress of his consideration of the First Report of the Commission on Electronic Voting which was published on 15 December 2004; the plans he has for the use of the electronic voting system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16337/05]

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he intends to use the electronic voting machines at the next general election; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16429/05]

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 158: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress and expenditure to date with regard to the electronic voting project; and the work which is currently under way on this issue. [16508/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 298: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the storage costs to date in respect of the electronic voting equipment; the likely costs of such storage in a full year in respect of all constituencies throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16711/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 299: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the likely costs in a single year in respect of storage of electronic voting equipment for all the Dublin constituencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16712/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 300: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the further costs likely to accrue in respect of further development, investigation or enhancement of the electronic voting process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16713/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 301: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if any further public relations, consultancy or other costs are likely to arise in respect of electronic voting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16714/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 85, 110, 145, 158 and 298 to 301, inclusive, together.

My Department is developing, in parallel with the continuing work of the Commission on Electronic Voting, a programme of further assessment, testing and validation which is intended to address the concerns raised in the commission's interim and first reports with regard to the secrecy and accuracy of the electronic voting and counting system. I am giving full consideration to the views of the commission as set out in its reports. I will ensure that its analysis will inform and guide the programme, and that all of the commission's recommendations for action will be appropriately addressed in the work ahead. The timing of the further use of the system is dependent on the progress made with this programme of work and the dates on which future polls may be held.

The total cost to date of the electronic voting and counting project is €51.65 million. Regarding storage costs, information provided by returning officers to my Department indicates that the total annual storage cost of the electronic voting and ancillary equipment is some €658,000; the annual storage cost relating to the Dublin constituencies is some €128,000. Actual claims by returning officers are being processed by the Department of Finance for payment from the central fund. I am satisfied that the guidelines provided to returning officers in regard to the storage of electronic voting equipment were appropriate in the context of their statutory responsibility for running elections and referenda and their long-standing jurisdiction in such matters in their respective constituencies.

Apart from annual storage costs, it is not possible at this stage to quantify additional costs that may arise in relation to the electronic voting and counting system. In any event, such costs are likely to be small relative to the capital investment already made.