Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1961 > Committee on Electoral Law > Joint Committee on Interim, 2nd Interim, 3rd Interim and Final Reports - Electoral Law

IIMEACHTAÍ AN CHOMHCHOISTE

PROCEEDINGS OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE

Dé Céadaoin, 24 Bealtaine, 1961.

Wednesday, 24th May, 1961.

1. The Joint Committee met at 5.30 p.m.

2. Members Present.

The following members were present:—

Deputy Healy (in the Chair), Deputies Booth, Seán Browne, Cosgrave, Jones, Kitt, Loughman, McQuillan, Moloney, Norton and O’Sullivan, Senators Cole, L’Estrange, Ó Maoláin and Ryan.

3. Draft Final Report of Joint Committee.

The Joint Committee resumed consideration of the Draft Final Report.

(i) Paragraph 19 agreed to.

(ii) New paragraph.

Amendment proposed (Senator Ó Maoláin):

“Before paragraph 20 to insert a new paragraph as follows:—

‘If the Joint Committee’s recommendation, in paragraph 12 above, that registration duties be transferred from county registrars to local authorities is implemented, this proposal will require modification. The Committee recommends that the principle should be followed that one half of all registration expenses should be borne by the State and one half by local authorities and that no special apportionment should be attempted with a view to continuing local authorities liability for the national expenses of compiling the jurors lists’.”

Question:—“That the new paragraph be there inserted”—put, and agreed to.

(iii) Paragraph 20.

Paragraph read as follows:

“The Joint Committee recommends this proposal.”

Amendment proposed (Senator Cole):

“To add to the paragraph the following words”, but would like to see the penalty put at £10 instead of £5’.”

Amendment agreed to.

Paragraph, as amended, agreed to.

(iv) Paragraphs 21 to 28, inclusive, agreed to.

(v) Paragraph 29.

Paragraph read as follows:

“However, the extension of postal voting facilities to such persons would not necessarily remedy this, especially where the address of the persons concerned changes from day to day. Further, if postal voting facilities were extended to one class of persons it could be argued that it should be extended to all classes similarly circumstanced, including those who move their residence from the address at which they are registered, and possibly even persons on holidays on polling day. The numbers involved in such an extension would be very great. The Joint Committee does not consider that the resulting greatly increased risk of abuse would be justified. Accordingly, the Committee does not recommend any further extension of these facilities.”

Amendment proposed (Deputy Moloney):

“To add to the paragraph the following words:

‘Neither does it see any merit in a suggestion put to it that prisoners should be allowed to vote by post or that special facilities for voting should be provided in prisons’.”

Amendment agreed to.

Paragraph, as amended, agreed to.

(vi) Paragraph 30 agreed to.

4. Adjournment.

The Joint Committee adjourned at 6.30 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday next.