Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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275. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there are plans to make it possible to apply online to be included in the electoral register. [34316/22]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future commits to a broad range of electoral reforms including the modernisation of voter registration.   The Electoral Reform Bill provides the legislative underpinning for the modernisation among other things, including the establishment of an independent Electoral Commission.  The Bill is currently making its way through the Houses of the Oireachtas and   Second Stage in the Seanad is scheduled for 30 June 2022. 

The modernisation will include the introduction of rolling (continuously updated) registration; the simplification of forms and the overall registration process, and the use of PPSNs in the registration process.  New options to register, including online registration will also be made available. Together, these reforms will make it easier for people to register to vote and update their details, while enabling more effective management of the register by local authorities.   

In order to prepare for the passage and commencement of the legislation, work to update the systems used by registration authorities is underway.