Up to 20 per cent of the names on the current electoral register have been deleted as part of a nationwide review of the register, the latest figures provided to the Department of the Environment suggest.
Detailed figures have yet to be finalised by the department, but based on the returns provided by some of the larger local authorities the number of deletions is standing at roughly one-fifth of the overall register, which suggests that over 600,000 names have been removed.
However, yesterday Minister for the Environment Dick Roche rejected suggestions that a large number of people would be incorrectly removed from the register or that it would contain serious errors.
He said the preliminary figures provided to his department showed that roughly the same number of names were being added as the number being deleted.
"By the end of this process we expect that the number of people on the register will be 97 per cent of what the number should be, based on the 2006 census, which is 3.135 million people aged 18 plus."
He added that the department expected the number of deletions and additions nationwide to be in line with those made by Fingal County Council, where one-fifth of the names were removed. Some 30,000 names were removed from the register of over 157,000 voters, while 30,000 new names were added.
His comments came as Opposition politicians warned that a large number of people entitled to vote could be incorrectly removed from the register as part of the review.
People whose names have been deleted incorrectly from the register have until November 25th to check the register and have their names put back.
In Meath the proportion of deletions was closer to a third. There has been a net reduction in the number on the register from 126,000 to 102,000. An estimated 30,000 names were removed, while 11,500 were added.
In Louth 11,890 names were removed from the register of 88,443 voters. To date just 3,500 of these have been confirmed to have either moved or died.
The €12 million electoral register updating saw visits carried out to 1.25 million homes.
Those whose names have been removed from the register should have received written warnings to their addresses that unless they contacted their local authority their names would be deleted from the register.
Yesterday Fine Gael environment spokesman Fergus O'Dowd said the State PPS system, where each citizen or registered worker is given a special number, should be used.
"Minister Roche has time and time again refused to take on board reform proposals for the electoral register from the Opposition, and once again his decision to rule out creative suggestions will result in the Irish electorate losing out."
