Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 December 2016
359. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the review procedures which are open when a person is dissatisfied with the selection process for election monitoring roster members. [40068/16]
View answer360. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of election monitoring roster members who have not been selected for any missions and the reasons for their non-selection. [40069/16]
View answer361. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the current election monitoring roster can be amended in any way before a new roster is established; if any additions have been or can be made to the existing roster; and if so, the additions that have been made. [40070/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions 359 to 361, inclusive, together.
The current Election Observation Roster maintained and administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was established in May 2013 for a period of five years. This followed a review of the previous roster and a public call for applications. Following the independent appraisal and ranking of the 263 eligible applications, the 200 individuals who achieved the highest scores were selected to serve on the new 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.
Taking account of members who have left the roster, and those who have been added from the reserve panel, the current roster complement stands at 198 and the reserve panel has been fully utilised. Of this current roster, 128 members have undertaken missions since 2013 while 70 members have not yet served on a mission. In the vast majority of cases, the reason for non-participation is that members have not yet applied to go on a mission.
In the case of EU missions, the final selection of nominees submitted by the Department rests with the European Commission. In the case of OSCE election missions, all of the observers nominated by the Department are usually selected.
Officials of the Department’s Election Desk do take into account any feedback received from roster members, but are also mindful that the numbers of applicants for election missions are always higher than the available places.
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 Ireland is acting in accordance with best practice in the operation of the roster.
I am confident that the current roster is well equipped to deal with the requisite requirements of the EU and OSCE. It is envisaged that the current roster will operate until May 2018, but will be kept under review.
