Election Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 October 2017

Tuesday, 24 October 2017

Ceisteanna (114)

Shane Cassells

Ceist:

114. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of non-voted expenditure allocated for elections in each of the years 2014 to 2017; the election postal charges under the Post and Telegraph Act 1983, per annum from 2014 to 2018; the expected allocation in 2018; the basis for such calculations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45017/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

The cost of each election, including postal costs for each of the years 2014 to 2016 under the Post and Telegraphs Act 1983 as amended by the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011 are set out in the attached table. There was no election event in 2017.

The Government agreed an indicative timetable on 26 September 2017 for referendums to be held in 2018. These include a referendum on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution to be held in May or June, with a further two referendums on blasphemy and a Woman’s Life within the Home to be held alongside the Presidential election in October 2018 (in the event that there is more than one candidate).

I have included in the attached schedule for the information of the Deputy the combined cost of the 2011 Presidential Election (which includes the cost of the two Referendums and a Bye Election held on the same day) and the costs of the 2012 Children's Referendum. While no two election events would be the same and some costs would have increased in the meantime, this 2011 cost could be taken as indicative of the potential scale of the costs of a 2018 Presidential Election combined with referendums on the same day, while the 2012 referendum cost could be taken as indicative of a stand alone referendum.

		2014	2015	2016
1	European & Local Elections (includes 2 Bye Elections Dublin West & Longford West Meath) as follows:	€24,573,804.70
	Conduct of the Election	€12,719,558.49
	Candidate Expenses	€1,084,026.90
	Postal Costs	€10,770,219.31
2	2 Bye Elections (Dublin Sth West & Leitrim Roscommon) as follows:	€1,111,323.42
	Conduct of the Election	527,519.90
	Candidate Expenses	€104,400
	Postal costs	479,403.52
3	Seanad Panel Members as follows:	€7,179.19
	Conduct of the Election	€4,503.19
	Postal Costs	€2,676.00
4	Referendums: Marriage Equality & Age of Eligibility for Election to Office of President (includes Carlow Kilkenny Bye Election) as follows:		€14,891,512.46
	Conduct of the Election		€10,835,218.27
	Postal costs		€1,841,294.19
	Referendum Commission Costs		€2,215,000.00
5	Seanad Bye-Election November, 2015 as follows:		€6,985.36
	Conduct of the Election		€4,344.06
	Postal Costs		€2,641.30
6	General Election (includes Seanad)			€30,380,323.44
	Conduct of the Election			€13,492,420.89
	Candidate Expenses			€2,727,969.24
	Postal costs			€14,159,933.31
7	Cost of 2011 Presidential with 2 Refs & Dublin West Bye Election				€30,051,569.60
	Conduct of the Election				€17,411,260.64
	Candidate Expenses				€600,000.00
	Postal Costs				€12,040,308.96
	2012 Children's Referendum as follows:				€12,835,735.63
	Conduct of the Election				€9,639,552.77
	Postal Costs				€1,496,182.86
	Referendum Commission Costs:				€1,700,000.00