Factiva (R) Dow Jones & Reuters

IRTI000020051130e1bu0000o

In the Dáil

Michael O'Regan

30 November 2005

Call to 'cut our losses' and sell e-voting machines.

Labour's environment spokesman Eamon Gilmore suggested that the Government should sell the electronic voting machines which are now in storage.

Mr Gilmore said that the Government had confirmed that the machines would not be used at the next general election.

"Will the Minister find some place, such as Zimbabwe or Florida, which may need the assistance these machines could provide? The machines could be sold as a job lot, and we could at least cut our losses.

"We would not have to pay the EUR750,000 cost of storing the machines every year. It is time to cut our losses on the botched electronic voting system."

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said that would not be a sensible suggestion.

"A charge would have to be paid if I sold them on. I am looking at the storage issue, and I hope to resolve it as I am looking to identify a storage location with my colleagues.

"It does not serve a purpose to have them in expensive storage on a decentralised basis. The machines will not be used in the 2007 elections but I would not hold my breath after that time."

Pádraic McCormack (Fine Gael, Galway West) asked why it was costing more to store the machines in Waterford than anywhere else. Mr Roche said that the cost was in the terms of the contract, which was drawn up with the returning officer in Waterford.

Referring to the storage of the "damned machines", Ciaran Cuffe (Green Party, Dún Laoghaire) said that last March the Minister had given an assurance that he was working with the Department of Defence to find a centralised storage area.

Mr Roche said progress had been made on the issue, but "one has to ensure that conditions are correct for the machines".

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of political, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.