Public Consultation on a Regulatory Impact Analysis on the Establishment of an Electoral Commission

Mr Eoghan Murphy, T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and Mr John Paul Phelan, T.D., Minister of State for Local Government and Electoral Reform, have published a Regulatory Impact Analysis on the Establishment of an Electoral Commission to get the views of the public on how the commission should be established and the functions that should be assigned to it.

The May 2016 Programme for a Partnership Government contains a commitment to establish an electoral commission. The main purpose of an electoral commission would be to:

• drive forward reforms that would address the various issues identified with electoral administration and policy; and
• bring cohesion and co-ordination to policy and operational matters thereby improving the administration of elections for the electorate

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht published a report on the establishment of an electoral commission in January 2016. This report contains a series of recommendations regarding the establishment of an electoral commission, including functions which should be assigned to it; independence, membership and accountability mechanisms; and the establishment process.

The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has prepared a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) on the establishment of an electoral commission. The RIA sets out a number of options for establishing an electoral commission, including functions that might be assigned to it. These options have regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht.

The public and all stakeholders are invited to give their views, register any concerns, voice their support, identify any issues in relation to the establishment of an electoral commission, including its functions; or simply comment. All inputs received will be analysed and the content used to inform a preferred option for establishing an electoral commission, which will be brought to Government for consideration.

Make a Submission

The closing date is Friday 15 March 2019.

By Email – in word format please to electoralcommission@housing.gov.ie

Alternatively, responses can be posted to: Electoral Commission Consultation, Franchise Section, Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Custom House, Dublin 1, D01 W6X0.

It should be noted that in the interests of transparency, all written submissions received will be made publicly available on the Department’s website.

Respondents are advised that the Department is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and Data Protection legislation.

Personal, confidential or commercially sensitive information should not be included in your submission and it will be presumed that all information contained in your submission is releasable under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.

Responses will inform the development of a preferred option for the establishment of an electoral commission.

All submissions received will be subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection legislation.