Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2013
479. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a rule in France which allows Irish persons who haved lived there for a period of time to vote in their general elections; if he has a plan to offer a similar arrangement for French persons living here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23696/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIrish citizens resident in France may vote in the European Parliament elections and in the French municipal elections. Similarly, French citizens resident in Ireland may vote in the European Parliament elections and the local elections in this country.
Under section 8 of the Electoral Act 1992, the Minister may by order provide for citizens of another EU Member State who are ordinarily resident in Ireland to be registered as Dáil electors on a reciprocal basis, where the Minister is satisfied that the Member State involved grants Irish citizens resident in that country the right to vote at parliamentary elections there on an equal basis with its own nationals. No such order has been made in the case of French citizens resident here and I am not aware of any proposals to extend voting rights to Irish citizens resident in France to enable them to vote in French general elections.
