asked the Minister for the Environment if it is proposed to allow Irish staff working within the EEC to vote in the General Election.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Extension of Postal Vote.
21.
There are no proposals at present for special voting arrangements for Irish staff working within the EEC.
Does the Minister not agree that these people have the right to vote and that he should make appropriate arrangements to let them do so?
Various proposals for extensions of the present postal voting system have been made. I answered questions yesterday with regard to the extension to the handicapped and some arrangements that I am making there for improvements at the polling stations. However, a general extension of the postal vote was brought into force in 1974 for the local elections. We should have a least one more experience of the postal voting system before it is extended to other elections.
This would not be a general extension of the postal voting system. People who work in the EEC are specific and they feel strongly that they should be allowed to vote.
I agree with the Deputy. I feel strongly about it, as do many of our exporters who would be out of the country for a general election and as do many commercial travellers who are down the country on business at a general election. If I was to extend the postal voting to the numbers of people who request it, it would involve about one-fifth of the people on the live register and, with the proportional representation system we operate, any abuse of the system would have a major impact on the results of the election.
Will the Minister accept that to date the only representations that have been made in relation to the extension of the postal voting system have been made clearly and explicitly in relation to people who work overseas and who are employed either directly or indirectly by the State, either civil servants in the diplomatic service or in semi-State bodies which would also include the people referred to by Deputy Kenny? Would the Minister not concede that representations have been made often enough and, as this would not involve any more than 1,000 people at the most, would the Minister consider this matter and accede to this reasonable request especially as the facility is available to members of the armed forces in the Lebanon and to members of the Garda throughout the country?
It is a very reasonable request and I would tend to extend the postal voting system to the groups mentioned by the Deputy. However, I feel that because of the experience with the extension of the postal voting system in 1974 it is desirable that we wait for one more opportunity to experiment with it at the next local elections.
Will the Minister clarify the situation where British citizens cannot vote here? With regard to Northern Ireland, what is the position and what is the position in the whole area of British citizenship?
That is outside the scope of the question.
If the Deputy puts down a question I will answer it.