asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the fact that many landlords deliberately fail to include the names of lodgers and flat dwellers for the draft register of electors; and the action he proposes to take to remedy this abuse.

While instances of the type mentioned may possibly arise there is no evidence in my Department that such a practice is in any way prevalent.

It is for the registration authorities to ensure that the register of electors is as accurate as is humanly possible and I have in successive circular letters reminded them of their duties in this regard. I do not think that any further action on my own part is called for.

I would also mention that the Electoral Act, 1963, provides that any person who fails to give information to a registration authority or county registrar after having been duly required to do so, or gives false information, shall be guilty of an offence. Persons acting in the manner referred to by the Deputy would, therefore, leave themselves open to prosecution.

Is the Minister aware that it is quite a common practice for landladies not to divulge the people who are staying in their houses because they have let bed-sitters and so on and have not received planning permission and so they are afraid that, if they divulge the names of the people staying in their houses, their valuations will be increased and their rates likewise increased?

That may be so but after the last general election complaints were received as to non-inclusion in the electoral registers from five persons in the Dublin area and, on investigation, in only one of these cases was there a possibility of deliberate omission. It is, of course, open to the lodger or the flat dweller to examine the register. These people get the same notification as everybody else. I do not know a great deal about the situation but the evidence so far is that this is not done on a widespread scale.

Is the Minister aware that, despite the fact that this is fairly widely publicised, quite a number of people never think of it until the day of the election and is he aware that on that day it is quite common for people to call at a polling station and find their names are not on the register despite the fact that they have been resident in the area for a number of years at particular addresses?

The only evidence I have is that after the last general election five people complained and of those five only one would fall into the category referred to by the Deputy.

Question No. 22 postponed.