Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 May 1998

Vol. 490 No. 7

Adjournment Debate. - Voting on Offshore Islands.

Mr. Ring

I thank you, Sir, for selecting this matter on the Adjournment. I received many telephone calls about it at the weekend. Islanders are annoyed that they must vote in the forthcoming referenda on 19 rather than 22 May. After the general election last June they were told that would be the last time they would have to vote on a different day from people on the mainland in summer elections.

In the debate on the Amsterdam Treaty Members talked about bringing people in Europe together and achieving rights for all citizens in Europe, yet our islanders must vote three days before people on the mainland. There is no justification for this. The Heaneys on Inishturk have a new boat which could bring the returning officer and his or her staff to and from the island on polling day. Chris O'Grady on Clare Island has the most modern boat in the State and could also bring the returning officer to and from that island on polling day. The people on Inishbiggle are not so fortunate, but I am pleased to tell the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, that planning permission from his county council for the installation of a cable car has been granted. Perhaps those islanders can vote on the same day as people on the mainland in the next election because the returning officer will be able to travel to and from the island by cable car.

The Minister of State, Deputy Ó Cuív, promised a wonderful package for the islands before the last general election. He promised to give islanders special social welfare concessions to meet the cost of living on the islands. He promised them special subsidies for their boats and stated that they would not have to comply with the same conditions for medical cards as people on the mainland. None of those promises was kept and the islanders are very annoyed. Many of them are threatening not to vote in the forthcoming referenda as a protest. Many of them did not vote in the last general election; they want to vote with everybody else. In the last election they even had to vote before the major debate took place on television between the then Taoiseach, Deputy Bruton, and then Opposition Leader, Deputy Ahern. Some years ago a garda in wellingtons had to walk to and from Inishbiggle Island with the ballot box. At a time when we are discussing the Amsterdam Treaty and talking about putting people on the moon, it is ridiculous that we cannot send a returning officer to the islands on the day of an election.

I ask the Minister to direct all returning officers to go to the offshore islands on the day of the referenda and not treat them like second class citizens.

Mr. Molloy

My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, is unable to be in the House this evening to respond to this item and he has asked me to do so on his behalf.

It would be of assistance to the House if I outlined briefly the position under existing law relating to polling on islands. Under electoral and referendum law there is provision for advance polling on islands where a returning officer considers that, due to weather conditions or transport difficulties, it would be impracticable either to take the poll on an island or, if the poll was taken, to deliver the ballot boxes to the count centre in time for the commencement of the count. Under this provision, the returning officer is empowered to take the poll on an island on any day during the five day period before polling day. The returning officer is required to give public notice in any polling district concerned where he or she proposes to take the poll earlier than the polling day appointed by the Minister.

Where a poll is taken on an island on a day earlier than polling day and the poll cannot commence at the time fixed by the Minister due to weather or transport difficulties, it must commence as soon as possible after that time. There is also provision for the closing of the poll at any time after the poll has continued for four hours if the presiding officer considers the ballot papers would otherwise not reach the count centre in time for the count. It is the duty of the local returning officer for a constituency to take the poll at the referendum in that constituency and to do such acts and things as may be necessary for the taking of the poll in accordance with referendum law. In the case of the taking of the poll on an island, it is a matter for the local returning officer in each case to decide whether the poll should be taken on the polling day appointed by the Minister or on an earlier day. This decision has to be made, taking all relevant matters into consideration. The local returning officer does not have to seek the approval of the Minister in exercising this function; the Minister has no direct role in the matter.

I understand that at the forthcoming referenda polling will take place on 12 of the 20 offshore islands on which polling stations are located a day earlier than the polling day appointed by the Minister. Of these, polling takes place on Monday, 18 May on seven islands and on Tuesday, 19 May on five islands. On the other eight islands, polling will take place on Friday, 22 May, the same polling day as the country as a whole.

There are no proposals for an amendment of the law relating to advance polling on islands. That aspect of the law gives a discretionary power to local returning officers but they are not required to avail of this power. The provision is intended to allow local returning officers flexibility if they consider a day other than polling day should be fixed for polling on an island due to local weather or transport conditions. I am sure the House will agree that such a provision is necessary in electoral and referendum law. The alternative would be to risk having the completion of a count in a constituency at an election or, in the case of a referendum, the count for the country as a whole delayed in the event of completion of polling on an island being delayed where an island is inaccessible due to weather conditions.

The Dáil adjourned at 10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 13 May 1998.