asked the Minister for Local Government if he will introduce legislation to provide that British people living in Ireland will have the same entitlement to vote as Irish people have who are living in Britain.
Ceistéanna—Questions Oral Answers - Entitlement to Vote.
21.
The granting of voting rights at Dáil and Presidential elections and referenda to persons other than Irish citizens would require an amendment of the Constitution.
There is no citizenship qualification for voting at local elections.
Will the Minister recommend to the Minister for Local Government that this should be included in the next Referendum? Does the Minister not agree that if an Irish person in Britain can vote after six months we should reciprocate and give a British person a vote after six months in Ireland?
I will certainly draw what the Deputy has said to the attention of the Minister. I see here that in nearly every country the right to vote at national elections is confined to citizens. I agree with the Deputy that Britain follows the other line and I will draw the attention of the Minister to that fact.
Is it not a fact that the majority of the people who emigrate from Ireland go to Britain and can vote there after six months? In other words, they have dual citizenship, practically. We should reciprocate because we have that vote in England and can have a big say in the result of an English election.
What the Deputy says is true. I will draw it to the attention of the Minister for Local Government and presumably he will consider it.
Has the Minister in his brief what exactly are the existing entitlements of people to vote in relation to the subject matter of the question? Could he read it out for the benefit of the many people who are interested in this problem?
How many people?
No. What are the entitlements or legal requirements, if any?
For local elections, residence. There is no citizenship qualification for voting at local elections. I am afraid I have not got the information in my brief in relation to what the Leader of the Opposition requires.
We can put down another question.
I will ask the Minister to send on the information.
It is a question of informing the people who are interested in this matter.
How long does a person have to be resident in Ireland before he can take out Irish citizenship?
I am afraid I have not got that information.
Five years.
How long would they have to be living in Ireland before they are entitled to vote in a national election?
They must change their citizenship and then they can vote.
Is it not the position that British citizens resident in Ireland at the appropriate time for inclusion in the Register of Electors are entitled to vote at subsequent elections?
If they are on Division 3 of the register they are entitled to vote in local government elections but not in general elections.
Even if they are on the register?
If they are on Division 3 on the register they are entitled to vote in local government elections but they are not on the register for general elections.