192 Mr. L. Burke asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if electronic voting is envisaged for future elections; if it is recommended that computers will play a significant role in regard to obviating the need for long and difficult counts in view of the many and varied advances in software; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19526/97]

The question of electronic voting and counting at elections is kept under review in my Department in the light of technological developments. At this stage, it is not evident that the advantges would outweigh the significant practical difficulties and costs involved which, in our case, would be magnified by the relative complexity of the single transferable vote system.

As part of a package of measures designed to improve and modernise the counting process at elections, the Local Government Computer Services Board, at the request of my Department and in consultation with returning officers developed a computer programme to assist returning officers in conducting counts which was tested at the June general election. This programme will be finalised for use at forthcoming elections and may be extended to cover other stages of the election process. The computer programme used at the recent presidential election will also be considered in this context.