I propose to take Questions Nos. 339, 344 and 345 together.
Under electoral law, local returning officers are responsible at a referendum for sending a polling information card (PIC) to every presidential elector (i.e. Irish citizens) whose name is on the register of electors; there are 3,078,032 such electors on the register of electors which came into force on 15 February 2009.
At the recent referendum, the PIC was issued with the Statement for the Information of Voters, which was prescribed by the Oireachtas, as a single document with the PIC being detachable from the statement. In order to assist local returning officers with the addressing and issuing of the PICs, the Office of Public Works put in place a central contract for this work and returning officers were responsible for supplying the relevant register of electors data to the printers.
Possession of a PIC does not confer a right to vote. It was stressed to local returning officers and polling station staff in written guidance from my Department in advance of the referendum that they must refuse to issue a ballot paper to any individual who is recorded on the register of electors as being a non-Irish citizen.