Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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281. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the full cost of holding the referendum on the age of eligibility for election to the Office of President; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23013/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Referendums on Marriage Equality and Age of Eligibility for election to the Office of President together with the Bye-election in Carlow-Kilkenny were held on 22nd May 2015. Returning Officers are required to submit their accounts  for these election events to the Minister for Finance not later than six months after the date on which the poll was taken and so the final cost of the Referendums and Bye-election is not available at this time.

The estimated cost of the two recent Referendums is €15m. When two or more election events are held on the same day there are significant savings from the sharing of people and facilities. If a simple view is taken it can be said that the cost of each Referendum in this case is an estimated €7.5m. This portrayal of the estimated cost would attribute the significant savings, from having both polls on the same day, to each poll equally.  However it would not be possible to run one Referendum on its own for €7.5m.  

The Children Referendum, taken as a single poll, in November 2012  at a cost of €12.8m would be more indicative of the cost of a stand-alone referendum when compared with  the cost of €14.4m for the Abolition of the Seanad and Court of Appeal Referendums which were held on the same day in October 2013. The difference between the costs at €1.6m is an approximation of the additional cost of the second Referendum.