Further to my reply to Question No 713 of 14 July 2015 on this matter, I can confirm that the election observation roster maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was established in May 2013 for a period of five years, following a review of the previous roster and a public call for applicants. The aim is to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level in international election observation missions organised in the main by the OSCE and the EU.
An independent appraisal and ranking of all 263 eligible applicants was undertaken by two assessors external to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, against four criteria specifically related to election observation. These criteria were experience of election observation; knowledge of human rights and /or governance issues; language skills; and experience of challenging environments.
Arising from this, the 200 individuals who achieved the highest scores were selected to serve on the new election observation roster and a reserve panel of the next 10 highest scoring individuals was also established, from which replacements would be drawn should any members leave the roster during the five year period. Since its formation, four members have resigned from the roster. Three replacements drawn from the reserve list in order of ranking have been appointed to the roster and the process of appointing the fourth replacement is underway.
Ireland actively participates in the European Commission and European External Action Service - led European Observation network, which brings together election observation Focal Points from all EU Member States, together with Norway, Switzerland and Canada. The network facilities exchange of information and international best practice on all aspects of election monitoring and roster administration and helps to ensure that we are acting in accordance with that best practice.
I am satisfied that all applicants have been treated fairly and impartially and all unsuccessful applicants were invited to request feedback on their applications. Furthermore the independent review process which was established has facilitated two applicant reviews. In both cases, the reviewer was of the view that the scoring of both applications was fair and impartial across all four published criteria. I am confident that the current roster is well equipped to deal with the requisite requirements of the EU and OSCE. The Department will keep the process under review taking into account developments in the EU and OSCE context.
