Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1338. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department is examining extending the eligibility to vote via postal vote to those persons with severe mental health difficulties such as agoraphobia and so on under the provisions of the Electoral Act 1992; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46539/17]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1339. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the provisions available to persons with severe mental health difficulties such as agoraphobia and so on that would like to vote but are unable to travel to polling stations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46540/17]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1338 and 1339 together.

Postal voting is provided for in electoral law in respect of certain categories of persons who are entered in the register of electors - whole-time members of the Defence Forces; members of An Garda Síochána; Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses or civil partners; electors living at home who are unable to attend at a polling station because of a physical illness or a physical disability; electors whose occupation, service or employment makes it likely that they will be unable to vote in person at their local polling station on polling day and full-time students registered at their home who are living elsewhere while attending an educational institution in the State; certain election staff employed at the poll outside the constituency where they reside; and electors who because of the circumstances of their detention in prison pursuant to an order of a court are likely to be unable to go in person on polling day to vote. 

I have no proposals at present to extend existing arrangements for postal voting. However, electoral law is subject to ongoing review and, in particular in the period ahead, provisions - operational and legal - for voter registration will be subject to review as part of the voter registration modernisation project announced in March 2017.