Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the contacts he has had with South Dublin Council in respect of the new voting register regarding the fact that many voters who have been on the register for years have now been deleted; the advice he is offering to the council to correct this serious situation; if he will give assurances in the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37277/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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. In April 2006, I announced a package of measures to assist local authorities in their work on preparing the 2007/8 Register. This included:

a commitment of up to €6m in new funding from the Exchequer, additional to the normal local authority spend of some €7m, to ensure a comprehensive and well resourced Register campaign;

a €1m national media campaign involving TV, radio, the print media and billboards;

new IT based arrangements so that the names of people that have died are automatically notified to local authorities for deletion from the Register;

all local authority websites to facilitate voters in checking that their names are on the register; and

a central website www.checktheregister.ie (which went live on 1 November) giving direct links to each local authority's eReg enquiry screen.

My Department also worked with a group of local authority managers and senior officials to put in place an enhanced programme for improving the 2007/2008 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. Local authorities were also requested to cross check with other data that they might have (e.g council housing lists).

I am satisfied that local authorities have carried out the most extensive registration campaign in decades for the Draft Register 2007/8. The campaign has involved some 1,500 fieldworkers visiting some 1.2 million households; many of these were visited more than once so as to ensure a more accurate Register. While coordinated data on the initial Register campaign is still not finalised, indications are that there has been extensive activity with both significant additions to, and deletions from, the Register.

As a result the extensive activity at local level, combined with strong media-based national awareness campaign, public interest in the registration process and its fundamental importance to democratic participation is now at a very high level.

The Draft Register has now been published by each local authority. It can be checked up to 25 November in;

Council offices,

Public libraries,

Post offices,

Garda stations, and

On-line on each local authority web-site and through the central site www.checktheregister.ie.

People aged 18 and over, who are not registered, or whose details are not correctly registered, may apply to their city or county council for registration or correction as appropriate; a form for this purpose can be downloaded from www.checktheregister.ie. Valid registration applications will be reflected in the final Register which will be published in February 2007.

The second phase of the national awareness campaign, encouraging people to check the register, will run on national and local media until 25 November.

In relation to the period after 25 November, it will be open to eligible persons still not included on the Register to secure their registration through inclusion the Supplementary Register; applications for this purpose may be made up to 15 days before polling day.