Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 528: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason the election management software for electronic voting was not developed in accordance to any standard process and is not developed as a mission critical system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31042/06]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 529: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the second report of the Commission on Electronic Voting found that the electronic voting system may, with many adjustments, reach the high standard of secrecy provided by the paper system, but that it is unlikely to ever exceed that high standard; if in view of this he will scrap the electronic voting proposal. [31043/06]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 531: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will carry out all the recommendations made by the Commission on Electronic Voting; his estimates of the resources required, in terms of time, money and personnel to carry out the recommendations. [31045/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 528, 529 and 531 together.

The Commission on Electronic Voting concluded in its Second Report on the Secrecy, Accuracy and Testing of the Chosen Electronic Voting System, which was published on 4 July 2006, that it can recommend the voting and counting equipment for use at elections in Ireland, subject to further work it has recommended. The Commission made it clear that many of its recommendations involve only relatively minor modifications or additions to the system. While the software of the voting machine was considered by the Commission to be of adequate quality requiring only minor modifications and further analysis to confirm its reliability, it was unable to recommend the election management software. In the context of its comparison of the electronic and manual voting systems, the Commission concluded that, subject to its recommendations being implemented, the chosen system has the potential to deliver greater accuracy than the paper system and can provide similarly high levels of secrecy.

My Department's priority in the preparations for the national roll-out of the system for the June 2004 polls was to confirm that the system functioned effectively and that staff were trained in their duties and responsibilities. While it is acknowledged that additional measures can be taken to strengthen further the security protocols surrounding the system, provide more fully documented procedures and otherwise enhance the system, the fundamental operability, accuracy and functionality of the system, and its effective operation, are not in doubt.

In response to the report, the Government has established a Cabinet Committee, which I chair and which includes the Tánaiste and the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, to consider the report and other assessment work in detail; report to the Government on the full implications of the Commission recommendations; consider the composition of a peer review group (drawn from international electoral reform bodies and the IT industry) to supervise any software redesign work; report to the Government on confidence building measures; and identify any other improvements that might be built into the system. The work of the Cabinet Committee is underway.