Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1098.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether the register of electors is regularly checked against a register of deaths; and if not, the work his Department is conducting to prevent undue distress for relatives of the deceased, and to ensure that the register of electors is up-to-date. [32243/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities, in their capacity as registration authorities, are responsible for the management and maintenance of the electoral register. It is the duty of each authority to ensure, as far as possible, and with the cooperation of the public, the accuracy and completeness of the register in respect of its own administrative area.

An tárd Chláraitheoir, the General Register Office (GRO) provides a Death Events Publication Service to public service bodies. This information contains details on all deaths notified to the General Register Office.

While the service has been in place for many years, it was further specifically provided for under Section 13E(6) of the Electoral Act 1992 Act as amended by the Electoral Reform Act 2022, which provides that a registration authority may require an tArd-Chláraitheoir to furnish it with information in connection with deaths of persons in their registration area. In October 2021, as part of preparations to commence the legislation, the General Register Office gave a presentation to local authorities setting out the details of the service. It is a matter for the individual local authority to engage with the GRO and the system.

Members of the public can also notify a local authority about a person who has died using a Third Party Claim Form to amend the Register (TPC1 Form). This form allows a member of the public to submit a request to the local authority for an amendment to an entry on the register, other than their own, including notifying the authority that a person they know has died. All such requests must be considered by the Registration Authority and the authority will take the appropriate action.

To ensure that the overall integrity of the register continues to improve over time, An Coimisiún Toghcháin has been given an oversight role in relation to the Electoral Register. Local authorities are required to report annually on the work they are doing to ensure a complete and accurate register. Each year, the Commission will publish a report setting out any research it has carried out and its assessment of the status and functioning of the electoral register as well as any recommendations that the Commission considers necessary to maintain and enhance the integrity of the electoral register and the registration process.