I have covered the ground for this. There will be an early start to the local authority register for this year. If we can we will use census enumerators or other temporary staff. We will make available a budget for local authorities. The next register will be published in draft form on 1 November. Clearly the work must take place up to that date and up to the final register on 15 February.

There have been meetings with managers and we have engaged actively with the local authority system, which has always undertaken this work completely. A Department was never engaged in this work. The local authorities on the ground make every effort to resolve as many difficulties as possible. We acknowledge that in most elections, the number of people on the register in comparison with the census is usually between 300,000 and 400,000 more.

Does the Deputy wish to respond on the same issue?

I will avail of the right to speak. In the instances and approaches cited by the Taoiseach, will a serious effort be employed with regard to young people in second level education to ensure that school leavers who reach the age of 18 and are entitled to be included on the register will be automatically registered?

Deputy Morgan is doing that. He wrote to a 62 year old man welcoming him as a new constituent.

Deputy Ó Caoláin, without interruption.

That is because he was a new constituent.

He happened to be a Fianna Fáil councillor.

When the Ceann Comhairle's colleague is finished——

He is not my colleague. The Chair has no colleagues in the House. The Chair is independent of all colleagues.

He welcomed him, and he was 62. I have the letter.

At least I am making the effort. The Government is making no effort whatsoever.

The Deputy is welcome to write to an 18 year old, but this man was 62.

The Minister should allow Deputy Ó Caoláin to continue without interruption and not provoke Deputy Morgan.

The Government is only going around slighting people.

I have the letter.

He believed in lifelong learning.

I assure the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, that a 62 year old voter is as welcome to vote for Sinn Féin as any other.

I offer seriously the proposition, with little opportunity to develop these arguments. Surely we should engage with all our second level institutions and other schools and colleges throughout the country. That is a way of ensuring registration of young voters — we are talking about people surplus to the number that is out there in each constituency. I recognise, in some of the city quarters described, that that could happen. So-called "flatland" is a very movable area. It is not the reality in the greater number of rural constituencies.

The real issue in the greater number of rural constituencies, and equally applicable in city and urban centres, is that many young people are not registered. It would be an important element in any exercise undertaken that there would be direct engagement at second level education not only with those who are immediately coming on board in advance of the next election, but as part of CSPE, to encourage and inform young people of the importance of being on the register. That would take place from an outlook of facilitation. That is what is required.

I want to see everyone legally entitled to vote. Is the Taoiseach equally as keen to see everyone on the register who is legally entitled to be there? I look forward to the result in Dublin Central.

Eighteen year olds are always highlighted in the advertising campaign and that should be the case this time also. All political parties do their utmost to ensure that 18 year olds are on the register. Everybody who is legally entitled should be on the register. Deputy Ó Caoláin is missing the point. In the last election in 2002, well over 3 million people were on the register whereas the census done in April 2002 showed that fewer than 2.7 million people were entitled to vote. The register is way overstated. That was not the only election affected.

Should the Government have started then?

The Government should not lose sight of the rights of those who are not on the register to be included.

I accept that. The Minister has been running a campaign based solely on getting people on the register.

The last census was over four years ago. What has the Government been doing for the past four years?

The Taoiseach, without interruption.

The entire campaign so far has been based on trying to get people on the register. It has been highlighted in the Dáil and the Seanad in recent weeks that a large number of people are on the register who should not be there because they have moved on or they are listed twice or several times. In some cases, people on the register may not exist at all.