John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for giving me the opportunity to contribute on this issue. When I was a Member of this House and merely a backbencher in the other House, I spoke about this issue on many occasions. I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on the proposal for an electoral commission, a matter which will have a significant impact on the electoral process in Ireland in the next few years. I also welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate and answer questions Senators may have on this very important matter.

The Government is committed to the establishment of an electoral commission which will broadly bring together under one umbrella the functions and responsibilities of the electoral system. A number of important steps have been taken to advance this commitment. I will give Senators a potted history of progress so far and then outline the next steps to be taken.

In January 2015 the Department published a consultation paper on the establishment of an electoral commission in Ireland. The paper set out a series of issues for consideration, including, for example, which functions should be assigned to an electoral commission; what roles should those involved in electoral management continue to perform; the cost implications, as well as membership and accountability arrangements. Based on the consultation paper, a public consultation process on the establishment of an electoral commission was undertaken by the Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht. In January 2016 the committee published its report on the consultation. The report contains a series of recommendations for establishing an electoral commission. It proposes that the commission take on functions such as managing elections and referendums; maintaining the register of political parties; undertaking research on electoral matters; voter education; and the transfer to the commission of the regulation of political funding and spending which are currently under the control of the Standards in Public Office Commission and local authorities.Importantly, the Oireachtas committee's report found that there was a relatively high level of trust in our electoral system and that that trust should not be undermined by the introduction of any new electoral management arrangement without adequate time for bedding down. The report, therefore, recommends a phased approach to establishing the commission and that the change should happen gradually. A big bang approach is not favoured by the report.

The report refers in some detail to an issue that exercises many of us, namely, the modernisation of the electoral register. The report makes recommendations on how that might be addressed. However, rather than waiting for an electoral commission to commence this work, and on foot of a Government decision to put the extension of the franchise for presidential elections to the people in a referendum, work is now under way in the Department on scoping potential improvements to the electoral registration process. In some local authorities, people have to fill in up to 23 documents to join the register, seek a postal vote, change address or so forth. The Department's work is being done with a view to, among other things, facilitating the registration of voters resident outside the State should the referendum regarding presidential election voting rights be passed.

The electoral register modernisation project is considering a range of possible improvements, including recommendations made by the Oireachtas. General issues regarding the governance of a revised registration process, including the potential role of the electoral commission, will also be considered as part of the project. Key proposals being considered include a single national register, continuous registration and online options for public interaction.

Given the importance of the electoral register in our democracy, the process being planned includes a significant public consultation element and the overall process is anticipated to take some two to three years. Technical consultations with registration authorities and other bodies, including the political system, will also form part of the deliberations. Those consultations are under way. Given the nature of our electoral system where there are always elections around the corner, it is important that the integrity of the register be protected when being updated.

Meanwhile, work is ongoing in the Department on the preparation of an electoral commission Bill. In the first instance, the Department is preparing a regulatory impact analysis, RIA, for the Bill. This RIA will identify and compare a number of policy options for establishing a commission. Each option will set out a possible range of functions together with membership, accountability mechanisms and timelines for establishing a commission. The RIA will analyse the cost, benefits and impacts of each option. The completion of the RIA, which will happen relatively soon and involve a public consultation later this autumn, will inform the drafting of the heads of an electoral commission Bill. There is a considerable amount of work involved in each of the steps I have just outlined, but we are well on the way to progressing these matters. I look forward to hearing Senators' views.