Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to provide an option of postal voting for members of the Reserve Defence Force in view of complaints from RDF members that due to Reserve commitments they were unable to vote in their local polling station in the recent referendum on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34762/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Permanent Defence Force by virtue of the nature of their duties and the likelihood that they could be posted away from their home base or overseas for lengthy periods, have a particular need for postal voting. While members of the Reserve Defence Force play a valuable role in the military organisation, the same considerations do not apply to them.

I have been advised by the Military Authorities that the requisite flexibility was afforded to Reservists on voluntary training on 2 October 2009, the day of voting on the National Referendum on the Lisbon treaty, to exercise their constitutional right on the day.

The Electoral Act 1992 provides for postal voting in certain circumstances for personnel of the Reserve Defence Force. I have no plans to ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, who has responsibility for electoral matters, to consider further extending the facility already provided for postal voting to members of the Reserve Defence Force.