asked the Minister for the Environment whether he will, on the next occasion of a national election or referendum, designate a Sunday as polling day so as to avoid the gross disruption of the school week which week-day polling involves and to induce a higher turnout of voters.

The question of Sunday polling has been considered on several occasions in the past, most recently for the European Assembly elections in June, 1984. Among the considerations taken into account was that, following consultation, some of the minority Churches expressed reservations about Sunday voting. The possibility of Sunday voting in the future is not excluded but a decision on this must, among other things, take account of the reservations of the Churches.