Written answers

Thursday, 27 January 2011

Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government

Electoral Management System

2:00 pm

Photo of Jim O'KeeffeJim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he now accepts that the proposal in the 2007 programme for Government to establish an independent electoral commission will not be fulfilled by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3992/11]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government, agreed in 2007, contains a commitment to the establishment of an independent Electoral Commission. The renewed Programme for Government , agreed in October 2009, reaffirmed this commitment and identifies a range of responsibilities which the Commission will be mandated to fulfil.

An independent Electoral Commission will require new legislation for purposes of its establishment and to transfer to it a range of roles and responsibilities including those assigned to the Standards in Public Office Commission in electoral law, the roles and responsibilities of the Constituency Commission and roles and responsibilities currently assigned to me as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This will involve changes to over 20 primary acts and to the associated regulations. Towards implementing the Programme for Government commitments, and to assist in consideration of the issues involved, my predecessor as Minister commissioned a report by an expert group from University College Dublin. The report, entitled A Preliminary Study on the Establishment of an Electoral Commission in Ireland , was published for consultation in February 2009. The UCD study recommends that an Electoral Commission should be established through the enactment of an Electoral Commission Act. This Act would amend and consolidate the law in this area, bringing together in one Act the law relating to referendums and elections to local authorities, Údarás na Gaeltachta, the European Parliament, Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann and the office of President of Ireland. This would be a major task.

Many of the electoral reform issues that will come within the remit of an Electoral Commission were considered by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, which published its report on the electoral system in July 2010. This report states that the Committee strongly supports the establishment of an independent Electoral Commission. The report represents a valuable input and is being taken into account in progressing work in this area.

A good deal of groundwork has been done to date in considering and identifying the approaches that may be taken and this should act as an important foundation in progressing the establishment of an independent Electoral Commission.

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