Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 882: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 117 of 27 May 2008, he will assist local authorities in conducting an extensive registration campaign in preparation for the upcoming local elections; the expected cost of such a campaign to his Department and to each of the local authorities; if he will employ outside expertise for such a campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22595/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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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 working to compile the Register for 2007/8, local authorities undertook and completed, with assistance from my Department, the most extensive registration campaign in decades. On the basis of the work undertaken, I am satisfied that local authorities achieved a significant improvement in the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Register compared to previous years.

The task now for local authorities, in relation to the Register for 2009/10, is to maintain and build on the progress made to date. In this regard, my Department has supplied local authorities with stocks of the relevant forms to be used in the compilation of the next Register; the form has been redesigned to include specific information on the 2009 Local and European Elections.

Local authorities have also been given, for the first time, a multi-lingual prompt card (in 14 languages) for use by fieldworkers to explain the registration process to all the people they meet. At Draft Register stage, my Department will run an advertising campaign to encourage people to check that they are on the Register.

Beyond that, I welcome the recent report of the Joint Committee on Environment, Heritage and Local Government in relation to The Future of the Electoral Register in Ireland and Related Matters. The report is consistent with the commitment contained in the Programme for Government to establish an Electoral Commission, with responsibilities to include compiling a new national rolling electoral register, and is an important input to future Government decisions in this area.