asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware that the large number of political canvassers outside polling booths at elections often acts as a deterrent to people going to vote; if he will consider amending the Electoral Acts to prohibit, or at least limit, such activities in the vicinity of polling booths; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Polling Booth Canvassers.
7.
I am not aware that the presence of canvassers at polling stations has the effect of deterring voting. If there was any question of voters being obstructed on their way it would be a matter for the Garda Síochána to deal with the situation.
Canvassers are not entitled to operate within a polling station, of course, and the presiding officer has adequate powers to ensure that this does not occur.
The Minister says he is not aware that any obstruction takes place at polling booths as a result of canvassers and so on outside such booths. I am afraid he must have spent most election periods in the Wicklow area, probably at a small polling station——
A question, Deputy, please.
——whereas, if he goes to any major, urban polling station he will be made well aware of it. Would he not agree that it is his ministerial duty to inquire into it, to ascertain, even from his party colleagues or anybody else, if there has been such obstruction? Does the Minister intend to make any inquiries into this matter? If he was canvassing in the last by-election he would have seen the problems in Cabra and other booths, where voters had to run the gauntlet of hand shakes and back slaps and the party stickers——
Deputy Mac Giolla cannot make a speech, he must confine himself to the question.
Is the Minister aware that this is deterring people from voting? A lady had to walk away from the polling booth without voting because of this problem——
I cannot allow Deputy Mac Giolla to continue, I am sorry.
Does the Minister intend to put restrictions on canvassing within, say, a quarter or half a mile——
Deputy Mac Giolla will find another opportunity for making a speech on this.
Goody two shoes.
I can only repeat what I said in the original reply: there is no evidence that canvassers outside polling stations deter people from voting.
Perhaps this question could be referred to the Whips for agreement——
Will the Deputy grow up?
A person has his mind made up to vote for a certain party before he or she leaves home and it will certainly not be changed outside a polling booth——
The Deputy must ask a question or sit down.
During the Dublin by-election, Deputy Mac Giolla's men walked on me at Croke Park so they were not blameless; in fact, they were the biggest culprits.
Questions Nos. 8 and 9 are for written reply.