Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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275. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to move the writ for the European and local elections simultaneously thus allowing the period for poster erection to be run jointly for each election. [4491/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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It is intended to hold the European Parliament and local elections on the same day in May. I will be announcing the date shortly and will make the formal polling day orders in due course. To meet statutory deadlines set out in the European Parliament Act 1997 and the Local Elections Regulations 1995 for the conduct of these polls, including setting the nomination period, polling day orders for each poll may be made on different dates.

However, section 19(7) of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 was amended by the Electoral (Amendment) (No.2) Act 2009, to introduce a 30-day time limit prior to an election taking place, during which election posters can be displayed. At a European or local election posters can only be displayed from 30 days prior to polling day or from the date of the making of a polling day order (whichever is the shorter period). The legislation also provides that election posters must be taken down within 7 days of an election.