Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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611. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on reducing the voting age for local and European elections to 16 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31329/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government contains a broad range of electoral reforms including a commitment to establish an independent, statutory Electoral Commission by the end of 2021. The Programme also contains a specific commitment to "Examine the Scottish experience of reducing the voting age to 17, in order to draw conclusions" within the lifetime of the current Dáil.

In December 2020, the Government approved the General Scheme of an Electoral Reform Bill which, inter alia, provides for the establishment of the proposed Electoral Commission. The General Scheme was published in January 2021 and is available on my Department's website at the following link www.gov.ie/en/publication/34cf6-general-scheme-of-the-electoral-reform-bill-2020/. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently carrying out pre-legislative scrutiny on the General Scheme.

It is intended that one of the Electoral Commission's initial functions will be to conduct research on electoral policies and procedures with a view to providing advice to the Oireachtas and to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage as may be required from time to time. Following its establishment, the Electoral Commission will be well placed, if requested, to examine, among other matters, the prospect of reducing the age at which a person would be entitled to vote at elections and referendums held in the State having particular regard to the experience in Scotland as well as in other countries where a reduction in the voting age has taken place.