asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state (a) the cities, urban districts, and other corporate towns in which elections will be held when the next local elections take place; (b) the wards or other divisions or districts in each such area for election purposes; (c) the total number of persons to be elected for each such ward, division or other district; and (d) the total number of persons to be elected to each city council, corporation, urban council and other council of corporate towns.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Arrangements for Local Elections.
The Orders fixing the total number of members of every urban authority to be elected have not yet been completed, but I will send the Deputy all the particulars asked for next week.
asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state, in regard to the forthcoming local elections, (a) the electoral areas in each county health district in respect of which elections will be held (b) the number of persons to be elected for each such electoral area; and (c) the number of persons to be elected for each county health district.
A draft schedule of county electoral areas and of the numbers of members to be elected for each county electoral area was sent to the county councils on the 19th June last. As soon as the electoral areas have been finally determined, the information sought by the Deputy will be sent to him.
Will the information have to be included in an Order?
Yes.
asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether he is prepared to make special polling arrangements in regard to urban areas in which polling takes place simultaneously for the election of town councillors and county councillors (e.g., towns in County Wexford) by way of Providing additional polling centres and extending the hours for voting in order to facilitate the additional voters added to the register since the last local government elections.
It is the duty of the county council to divide their county into polling districts and to appoint polling places. The returning officer is required to provide a sufficient number of polling stations for the accommodation of the voters and to distribute the polling stations in such manner as he thinks fit. County councils have been requested to meet at a very early date to consider how far the existing polling places which have been appointed meet the reasonable requirements of the voters when voting and to appoint such further polling stations as they consider necesaary. It is not proposed to require the poll to be kept open for more than 12 hours.
Does the Minister realise that since the last county council and urban elections the electorate has increased by nearly 100 per cent., and that it would be almost impossible to hold county council and urban council elections in towns on the one day unless some very special arrangements are made?
I do not know that anything more can be done beyond the arrangements already made.
Even the extra hour I asked for would be a help in the towns.
Of course we could not have the extra hour.
It would be only the same as having the general election and the voting on the Constitution on the same day.
No, there are two elections.