Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 348: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he will establish an independent electoral commission to take responsibility for electoral administration and oversight; the terms of reference and the composition of the commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18458/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government contains a commitment to the establishment of an independent Electoral Commission which will take responsibility for electoral administration and oversight, implement modern and efficient electoral practices, revise constituency boundaries, take charge of compiling a new national rolling Electoral Register, take over the functions of the Standards in Public Office Commission relating to election spending and examine the issue of financing the political system.

To assist in consideration of the issues involved, I commissioned a report by an expert group from UCD. I published the report for consultation on 10 February 2009, with a closing date for submissions of 26 June 2009. The report is available on my Department's website and I have forwarded a copy to the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government inviting its input into the consultation process that is currently underway to inform the development of proposals in this regard.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 349: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the estimated cost of scrapping the electronic voting machines; when the machines will be scrapped; the cost of terminating the present long-term storage contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18459/09]

Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Question 354: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the locations of the storage facilities for the e-voting machines; the names of the owners of these storage facilities; the names of persons to whom rent was paid; the amount of rent paid to each since the e-voting machines were put into storage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18793/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 349 and 354 together.

I indicated on a number of occasions that I was considering the position in relation to the electronic voting and counting project. On 23 April 2009, I announced that the Government have decided not to proceed with the implementation of electronic voting in Ireland. A process will now be put in place, including discussions with the supplier, to address the disposal of the electronic voting and counting equipment and termination of storage arrangements.

My Department engaged consultants with valuation expertise in May 2007, following a competitive tendering process, to examine individual lease arrangements and to make recommendations as to termination of the leases where appropriate. In May 2008, I accepted the recommendations made by the consultants and these recommendations are in the process of being implemented. It is expected that, in certain instances, the termination of lease arrangements will give rise to buy-out costs and these will be dependent upon the outcome of negotiations. Work on the termination of local lease arrangements will now continue in the context of the decision taken to conclude the electronic voting and counting project.

Based on information provided to my Department by Returning Officers, the total annual rental costs for storage of the electronic voting equipment for the various locations are set out in the following table, which also includes ownership details provided in respect of each premises.

In 2007, over 60% of the machines (4,762 in total) were moved from 12 local storage locations to a central storage facility located at Gormanston Army Camp. Costs incurred to date in respect of the movement and storage of this equipment are some €328,000. These were largely one-off expenses, and there are no ongoing rental costs, Electronic Voting Storage Locations, Owners of Premises and Annual Rental Costs

*machines moved to Gormanston in 2007