Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 23: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the status of the register of electors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36620/06]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount spent on the current campaign to update the electoral register and to encourage unregistered voters to register; and if he is satisfied with progress to date. [36671/06]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has received information from local authorities regarding the review of the electoral register; if such information suggests that there will be a reduction in the number of persons registered to vote; if the local authorities have identified difficulties with the registration process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36512/06]

Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the percentage accuracy he believes can be achieved in terms of the electoral register prior to the next general election; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36621/06]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he will take to minimise the removal, from the electoral register for 2007, of persons who are normally entitled to vote; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36513/06]

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures taken by his Department to correct the electoral register; and the amount these measures will cost. [36686/06]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 353: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on changing the title of the register of electors to the voters register, in line with most other states in view of the fact that the title currently used is unclear to many people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37031/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 23, 63, 69, 94, 116, 117 and 353 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 cooperation of the public, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Register. 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 included provision for ensuring that each household was visited and provided with forms and information at least twice, if necessary. In the event that this process did 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 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 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.

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 online register search facility is now available through local authority websites and a central website www.checktheregister.ie is also now available, containing direct links to each local authority's eReg enquiry screen, to facilitate people in checking that they are on the Draft Register.

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.

It is internationally acknowledged that electoral registration presents particular difficulties and challenges for electoral authorities. I am satisfied that local authorities have carried out the most extensive registration campaign in decades for the Draft Register 2007/8. My Department is currently compiling summary data from local authorities in this regard. While the complete data are awaited, initial indications are that there has been extensive activity with both significant additions to, and deletions from, the Register.

I have no proposals to change the title of the Register at this stage.