Ciarán Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will report on the electronic voting project and the current testing being undertaken on the project along with the associated costs; if the current phase of testing takes into account the need for a voter verifiable audit trail; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Questions asked in the Dáil by Ciarán - Environment

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25 October 2005	Environment	Electronic Voting

Ciarán Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will report on the electronic voting project and the current testing being undertaken on the project along with the associated costs; if the current phase of testing takes into account the need for a voter verifiable audit trail; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government: Following an open procurement process, my Department appointed consultants in July 2005 as part of a programme of further assessment, testing and validation of the electronic voting and counting system. The brief is to undertake a security and risk assessment of all aspects of the system and to devise a programme of additional testing. This work, which will take into account all relevant considerations, is intended to address issues raised by the Commission on Electronic Voting and demonstrate that the system operates reliably, securely and accurately. The consultancy work, costing €92,300, excluding VAT, is under way and will be completed as soon as possible. The timing of the further use of the system is dependent on the progress made with the above work and the ongoing work of the Commission on Electronic Voting and on the dates on which future polls may be held. The total cost incurred to date in the development and roll-out of the electronic voting and counting system is €51.065 million, including €3.097 million in respect of awareness and education initiatives and €581,000 for work by consultants on assessment-testing of the system. In addition, information provided by returning officers to my Department indicates that the total annual storage cost for the electronic voting machines and ancillary equipment is some €696,000 which equates to a monthly cost of some €58,000. It is not possible at this stage to quantify total additional costs that may arise in relation to the electronic voting and counting system. In any event, such costs are likely to be small relative to the capital investment already made.

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com