Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 524: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount which has been provided to each local authority for the purposes of updating the electoral register; the strategy for determining the needs of each authority which was deployed; when he expects the work will be complete; if there is an ongoing review of progress; if further funding requests will be considered; the mechanism which will be deployed to ensure the register is kept up to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30997/06]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 530: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress that has been made to date to update the electoral register; when it is envisaged that this process will be complete; the measures in place to ensure that there are no erroneous deletions made which would result in a voter being disenfranchised in particular cases, for example, if a voter was in long-term hospital care or if a voter had literacy issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31044/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 524 and 530 together.

In law, the preparation of the Register of Electors is a matter for each local registration authority. It is their duty to ensure, as far as possible and with the co-operation of the public, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Register and to review progress in this regard as appropriate. Local authorities must publish the draft Register on or before 1 November each year and they must publish the final Register on 1 February.

In April 2006, I announced a package of measures to assist local authorities in their work on preparing the 2007/8 Register, which included the use of Census enumerators or other temporary personnel to support local authorities in preparing the next Register. The CSO contacted census enumerators seeking expressions of interest in the work; lists of enumerators expressing such an interest in each city and county council area were made available to local authorities. This cleared the way for recruitment and deployment, as appropriate, by local authorities of additional temporary staff for the registration campaign.

In addition, my Department worked with a group of local authority managers and senior officials to put in place an enhanced programme for improving the next Register. Detailed procedures for the carrying out of registration fieldwork were finalised and issued to local authorities in early July. The procedures include provision for ensuring that each household is visited and provided with forms and information at least twice, if necessary. In the event that this process does not satisfactorily register the household, written notification would then be given cautioning of the danger of being omitted from the Register. A person not on the draft register when published on 1 November may apply (before 25 November) for inclusion on the final register to be published on 1 February 2007 or may apply for inclusion on the supplement to the register which closes on the fifteenth day before the next polling day.

New supplies of the electoral registration (RFA) forms were distributed to all local authorities in June (significantly earlier than in previous years). I also committed to providing additional ring-fenced financial resources to support local authorities' own spending in respect of the register campaign and have advised authorities that a contribution of some €6 million can be made available in this regard. An initial allocation of some €3 million, based on the number of households in each local authority area, was made available in July to local authorities for registration work; details of allocations are set out in the table below.

As regards publicity and awareness, a two-stage approach has been developed, involving information notices followed by an intensive media campaign. Information notices were published in the national press on 19-21 August, urging co-operation with local register campaigns. In addition, a national publicity and awareness campaign involving TV, radio, press and outdoor advertising commenced on 11 September and will run until 25 November (the closing date for submitting corrections to the Draft Register). An on-line register search facility is now available through local authority websites. A link from my Department's website (www.environ.ie) to the relevant search facility has also been provided.

New arrangements for the deletion of names of deceased persons from the Register are now in place: the new system allows for the efficient and timely deletion of the names of deceased persons from the Register using the Death Event Publication Service which has been developed by Reach in association with the General Register Office.

New guidance for local authorities on Preparing and Maintaining the Register of Electors was made available to authorities in electronic format on 31 May. Printed copies of the guidance were subsequently sent to all local authorities, returning officers and relevant Government Departments. In the final version of the guidance, the importance of local authorities cross-checking the Register with other databases available to them is stressed. The measures I announced in April are important supports for action by local authorities to improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Register in their areas.