Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)
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Question 244: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will remove the requirement for non-party independent candidates in elections to have 15 assentors for local elections and 30 assentors for general elections, such practice being undemocratic in requiring members of the public to publicly identify with a candidate at election time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15725/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Electoral (Amendment) Act 2002 provides that non-party candidates at European, Dáil and local elections must have their nomination paper assented to by 60, 30 and 15 persons respectively who are registered in the register of electors in the constituency or local electoral area to which the candidate is seeking election. The form is left in a local authority office for the assentors to sign and they must produce a specified photographic identification document. Details of the procedures for assenting are included in the notes to the nomination papers. The assentors requirement was introduced following a High Court judgment in 2001 which held that the deposits system was unconstitutional. Many other countries have some requirements, whether signatures, deposits or both, for candidates standing at elections in order to ensure that candidates have a serious intent. While electoral law is subject to ongoing review, there are no proposals to alter the existing arrangements.