Vol. 548 No. 2
283 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the steps he plans to adopt to ensure that the electoral registers are as accurate as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4182/02]
I am concerned to ensure that the register of electors used at any poll should be as accurate as possible. The compilation and publication of the register is a matter for each registration authority in accordance with electoral law and involves the carrying out of house to house or other local inquiries and in many cases delivering registration forms to households for completion. The draft register is published on 1 November and is made available for examination at post offices, public libraries, Garda stations, courthouses and local authority offices up to 25 November. The public is invited, through national and local advertising campaigns, to check the draft during this period to make sure that they are correctly registered and to bring errors or omissions in the draft to the attention of the registration authority. The final register is published on 1 February and comes into force for a year on 15 February.
The law in relation to registration procedures, including the provisions in the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2001, concerning the introduction of an edited register for electors who do not want their details used for a purpose other than electoral or other statutory purpose, the production of a national register of electors, the preparation and maintenance of the register by a body other than a registration authority and the use of electoral lists, is under ongoing review in my Department.
There have been a number of changes in recent years which have helped to improve accuracy. Most recently, the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2001, included new provisions to allow persons who have moved residence to another constituency during the currency of a register or who will reach 18 years old on or before polling day to apply for entry in the supplement. It also provided that persons who are unable to vote in their constituency because of their employment by a returning officer in another constituency on polling day will, in future, be eligible to apply for entry in the supplement to the postal voters list.
I am satisfied that these and previous amendments to the electoral code will contribute towards a more accurate register but I will, nonetheless, continue to keep the administrative and legal arrangements for the compilation of the register of electors under review.
