asked the Minister for the Environment when legislation to provide for postal votes for disabled persons will be published and referred to the Joint Committee on Legislation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Postal Votes for Disabled.
8.
A motion recommending proposals in relation to postal voting will be referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Legislation. This motion has been placed on the Order Paper. I can inform the House that this motion will come before the House next Thursday.
Does the Minister propose to set a time limit on the period over which the Dáil committee should consider this legislation? I am sure he is aware of the urgency. Could he indicate if a time limit will be placed on their deliberations?
The Deputy will have an opportunity of raising that next Thursday.
I am raising it out of the question. It may colour my attitude to the motion when it comes before the House.
I do not think up to now it has been the practice for this new committee to be given a time limit on their operations. All the members are Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas and understand the urgency of this particular motion which will be before the House. As the Ceann Comhairle has said it will be debated in the House next Thursday and points like this will be made in my statement to the House.
My experience has been in relation to the abuse of this subject matter. Is the Minister aware that when postal votes were available on a previous occasion there was wholesale abuse of that system of voting?
That would be more appropriate on the debate on the motion.
The Minister indicated that it was not usual to set time limits. In fact, the Committee on Marriage Breakdown have a time limit on them.
We are now debating something which is on the Order Paper for next Thursday.
I am asking the Minister to commit himself to putting a time limit on consideration of the legislation.
Obviously we want all interested parties to have adequate time to make their contributions to the committee. Therefore, the committee chairman, I believe, will be in the best position to decide how much time he requires. I would not like to limit him in that respect. He knows well the urgency about getting proposals to me so that, if a certain position is taken up, names can be put on the voting register for next year. That is the time limit we want to see maintained in this regard.