I propose to take Questions Nos. 49, 61, 832 and 833 together.
The Government decision in February 2000 to move to electronic voting and counting aimed to secure a range of identified benefits compared to the current manual arrangements, including: more democratic outcomes through the minimisation of invalid votes and the more accurate counting of votes; provision of a higher level of service to the public; greater flexibility and speed in the voting and counting processes; and greater use of modern information and communication technologies. The decision followed extensive research on electronic voting systems and experiences in other countries and input from a range of sources on legislative, financial and practical considerations.
As part of a programme of further assessment, testing and validation of the electronic voting and counting system, tenders have been sought, and are now being assessed, from suitably qualified consultants to undertake a security and risk assessment of all aspects of the system and to devise a programme of additional testing. This work is intended to address issues raised by the Commission on Electronic Voting and demonstrate that the system operates reliably, securely and accurately.
The total cost to date of the electronic voting and counting project is some €52 million. My Department is not considering, or quantifying the cost of, the approaches to the project set out in the questions, nor have we had contact with other jurisdictions in the matter.