I propose to answer Questions Nos. 167 and 172 together.
International election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a roster of observers for election monitoring missions. We aim to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level on international observation missions for elections and constitutional referendums. Irish observers participate primarily in missions organised by the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The Election Observation Roster was established in May 2013 for a period of five years following a review of the previous roster and a public call for applications. Upon completion of an 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 193 and the reserve panel has been fully utilised.
Overall Irish nominees have a high success rate and so far in 2017 a total of 42 observers have observed in OSCE and EU missions. I am confident that the current roster is well equipped to deal with the requisite requirements of the EU and OSCE.
For each election observation mission, the EU or OSCE set out their specific requirements and as has been the practice to date all roster members are invited to apply to participate in any mission which Ireland proposes to deploy observers with a view to ensuring the widest possible participation in missions by roster members. In many cases, the EU and OSCE also invite Member States to nominate new observers or observers with limited experience. In selecting nominees to be put forward, the specific criteria set by the EU or OSCE, including relevant local and regional experience, language proficiency, gender and length of time since serving on a mission, provide the main basis for decision-making.
Set out in the Table below is a listing of the current roster, the date they were appointed and the number of missions completed since the establishment of the roster in 2013. Many Roster members apply, but are not always selected due to the high level of demand and individual mission criteria.
Current Election Observation Roster listing & Number of observation missions undertaken.
|
Name
|
Date Joined Roster
|
Number of Missions
|
|
Adrienne Boyle
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Aidan O'Shea
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Alison Moore
|
May-13
|
|
|
Almha O'Keeffe
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Amy Rose McGovern
|
May-13
|
|
|
Andrea Breslin
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Andrew Richardson
|
May-13
|
4
|
|
Anne Ormonde
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Anne Choiseul
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Anne Donnellan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Anne Harris Hennon
|
May-13
|
|
|
Anne Marlborough
|
May-13
|
|
|
Annetta Flanigan
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Asa Cusack
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Audrey Ryan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Barbara O'Shea
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Bernard Daly
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Bernard McCabe
|
May-13
|
|
|
Bill Rolston
|
May-13
|
|
|
Brendan Gogarty
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Brian Fagan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Brian MacMahon
|
May-13
|
|
|
Camilla Fanning
|
May-16
|
|
|
Caroline Brennan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Cathal Kelly
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Catherine Brophy
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Cecilia Keaveney
|
May-13
|
5
|
|
Charlie O'Connor
|
May-13
|
|
|
Chris Andrews
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Ciara Conway
|
May-13
|
|
|
Ciaran Kinsella
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Colin Smith
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Colm Burke
|
May-13
|
|
|
Colm Fahy
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Damien Brennan
|
May-13
|
|
|
David Denny
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Deirdre Grogan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Dennis Kirby
|
Mar-14
|
2
|
|
Dermot Ahern
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Dermot Cogan
|
May-13
|
|
|
Desmond MacMahon
|
May-13
|
|
|
Diarmuid Cunniffe
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Diarmuid Peavoy
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Dominic Hannigan
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Donal Blake
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Donal MacDonald
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Dorcha Lee
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Eamonn Daly
|
May-13
|
|
|
Eamonn Thomas Walsh
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Edward Horgan
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Edward Naessens
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Eimear O'Casey
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Eithne MacDermott
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Elaine Byrne
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Elizabeth Mullan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Ellen McCabe
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Emily King
|
May-13
|
|
|
Emma Warwick
|
May-13
|
|
|
Eric Byrne
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Evanna Craig
|
May-13
|
|
|
Fergal McCusker
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Fergus Gleeson
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Fiachra O' Luain
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Fidelma MacHale
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Finbar O'Sullivan
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Finola McDowell
|
May-13
|
|
|
Fionnuala Brennan
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Frances Ball
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Frank Heslin
|
May-13
|
|
|
Frank Kennefick
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Frank Scott
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Frederick Gilligan
|
May-13
|
|
|
Gabrielle Brocklesby
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Geraldine O'Neill
|
Mar-14
|
2
|
|
Geraldine Power
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Gerard Buckley
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Gerard McNamara
|
May-13
|
|
|
Grattan Lynch
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Helen Keogh
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Jacinta Walsh
|
May-13
|
|
|
James Doody
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
James McCarthy
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
James Somers
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Jean Celeste Mackenzie
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Jean McGrath
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Jimmy Lenehan
|
May-13
|
|
|
John Curran
|
May-13
|
|
|
John Burke
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
John Durnin
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
John Lynch
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
John Martin Moore
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
John Minihan
|
May-13
|
|
|
John Mulvihill
|
May-13
|
4
|
|
John Paul Coakley
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
John Paul Phelan
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
John Purcell
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Joseph Mangan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Joseph Scanlon
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Joy Kanter
|
Mar-16
|
|
|
Karen Murphy
|
May-13
|
|
|
Kevin Cronin
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Kevin Grogan
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Kieran Dalton
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Larry O'Loughlin
|
Mar-16
|
|
|
Leila Blacking
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Les Allamby
|
May-13
|
|
|
Maca Hourihane
|
May-13
|
|
|
Maria Kiernan
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Marie Cross
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Marion Roche
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Marja Foley
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Mary Boland
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Mary Cummins
|
May-13
|
|
|
Mary Dowling
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Mary Dunne
|
May-13
|
|
|
Mary O'Shea
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Mary Russell
|
May-13
|
|
|
Michael Boyle
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Michael Cleary
|
May-13
|
|
|
Michael Coyne
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Michael Gannon
|
May-13
|
|
|
Michael Good
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Michael Kavanagh
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Michael McCarthy
|
May-13
|
|
|
Michael McNamara
|
May-13
|
|
|
Michael Verling
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Munyikwa Hamadziripi
|
May-13
|
|
|
Niall Gormley
|
May-13
|
|
|
Niall O'Cinnseala
|
Mar-16
|
1
|
|
Nicholas Murphy
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Noel Brennan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Nora Owen
|
May-13
|
|
|
Nuala Haughey
|
May-13
|
|
|
Olivia Mitchell
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Paddy Donnelly
|
Mar-14
|
2
|
|
Padraic McDunphy
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Pat Carroll
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Pat Quinlan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Patricia Barker
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Patricia Donnelly
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Patricia Kearns
|
May-13
|
|
|
Patricia Kelly
|
May-13
|
|
|
Patrick Durcan
|
May-13
|
|
|
Patrick Grant
|
May-13
|
|
|
Patrick Maher
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Paul Brennan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Paul O'Shea
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Paul Rowe
|
May-13
|
|
|
Paul Tighe
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Pauline Conway
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Peter Ballagh
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Peter Cotter
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Peter McMahon
|
May-13
|
4
|
|
Peter Donovan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Peter Emerson
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Peter Miles
|
May-13
|
|
|
Philippe Carr
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Ray Murphy
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Raymond Maxwell
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Rebecca Moynihan
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Richard Barrett
|
May-13
|
|
|
Richard Humphreys
|
May-13
|
|
|
Richard McEvoy
|
May-13
|
|
|
Robert McDaid
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Robert Norris
|
May-13
|
|
|
Robert Sampson
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Ronan McDermott
|
May-13
|
|
|
Ronán O'Brien
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Ruadhán MacAodháin
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Sandra Conway
|
May-13
|
|
|
Sarah-Jane Hillery
|
May-13
|
|
|
Seamus Martin
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Sean O'Callaghan
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Seosamh O’Murchu
|
May-13
|
|
|
Shane O'Connor
|
May-13
|
|
|
Sheena Walsh McMahon
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Siobhan Mullally
|
May-13
|
|
|
Steve Wrenn
|
May-13
|
|
|
Suhail Ahmad
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Tania Banotti
|
May-13
|
|
|
Terence Duffy
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
Terence Fleming
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Theresa Reidy
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Thomas Daly
|
May-13
|
|
|
Thomas Faolán Earlie
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Thomas John Kelly
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Tom Kitt
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Traolach Sweeney
|
May-13
|
2
|
|
Una McGurk
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Victoria Somers
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
Vincent McCorley
|
May-13
|
3
|
|
William Bulman
|
May-13
|
1
|
|
William Nolan
|
May-13
|
1
|
