Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 December 2013
253. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons employed at count centres for referenda and elections since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51704/13]
View answer254. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons employed at polling stations for referenda and elections since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51705/13]
View answer263. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown of the number of local authority employees employed to work at polling stations and count centres; the grade of each employed person, by county council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51760/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 253, 254 and 263 together.
The primary role of my Department in electoral matters is to provide an appropriate policy and legislative framework for a modern and efficient electoral system. Within that framework, local returning officers are responsible for all matters in connection with the actual conduct of elections and referendums, including the selection, appointment and training of polling station and count staff in accordance with the relevant provisions of electoral law.
My Department issues guidance to Returning Officers in advance of each election and referendum. The guidance emphasises that the smooth conduct of polls is dependent on maintaining a cadre of sufficiently skilled and experienced people. Having regard to that overall objective, returning officers are advised to employ competent and efficient persons as polling staff and asked to give consideration, where possible, to employing suitable persons who are unemployed, particularly when seeking to fill the post of Polling Clerk, where the responsibilities of the post can be fulfilled under the guidance of the Presiding Officer.
As employment in connection with polls taken at elections and referendums is a matter for returning officers, my Department does not compile statistics on the employment provided. However, certain information on employment provided by returning officers at the Childrens Referendum held in November 2012 was compiled by my Department. This information, which is based on information provided by Returning Officers for 35 out of 43 constituencies and which showed that 28.6% of those employed were unemployed at the time, is set out in the following table.
|
Positions |
Total number of staff employed |
Number of ‘unemployed’ persons employed |
‘unemployed’ persons as a % of the total |
|
Poll Clerks |
4,524 |
1,780 |
39.35 |
|
Presiding Officers |
4,527 |
1,120 |
24.74 |
|
Supervisory Presiding Officers |
352 |
33 |
9.38 |
|
Special Presiding Officers |
124 |
10 |
8.06 |
|
Emergency Presiding Officers |
23 |
3 |
13.04 |
|
Count Supervisor |
186 |
14 |
7.53 |
|
Calculator |
110 |
6 |
5.45 |
|
Counter |
1,603 |
321 |
20.02 |
|
Other Staff |
205 |
41 |
20.00 |
|
Total |
11,654 |
3,328 |
28.56 |
