Ahern rules out dual vote-counting systems

The Taoiseach has insisted there cannot be both an electronic and a paper voting system.

Mr Ahern said that the Nedap machine had been used for many years in other countries without any uncertainty as to its reliability.

"The machine, including the software for storing votes, has been tested and certified and accurately stores votes cast by the voters. The ballot paper is visible on the voting machine system. Printers are unreliable in a high-volume situation and that is the reason they are not used," he added.

"The ballot papers printed at the time of voting and used in a manual count might not give the same precise results as the electronic voting system. We either opt for electronic voting or stay with the old system. There is no point in having a dual system. That is like keeping the punt and the euro."

Mr Ahern was replying to the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, who asked if the Taoiseach was aware that in January 2003, a senior official in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government had said that the roll-out of the programme nationwide would be risky and, perhaps, unmanageable.

The Taoiseach insisted that it was a nonsensical argument to suggest two systems.

Asked by Mr Kenny to comment on how the contract for the advertising and management of the electronic voting programme was awarded, Mr Ahern said there had been "an open and transparent process" using the same rules which applied to all tendering processes. "The rules have been followed in full."

Mr Kenny said that the Taoiseach had said on the Gerry Ryan programme on RTÉ Radio last Friday that the Government had changed the culture of the system and had installed tough controls and passed tough legislation. He had said people were now accountable and scrutinised to an extraordinary extent and that while it might be a little bureaucratic, it had to be done.

"He says the tendering system is open and transparent, so let us apply last Friday's test to that remark. The previous budget given to a company for the roll-out of the pilot programme was €80,000. The tender in this case was for €4.5 million. The person who allocated this was the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a Fianna Fáil appointee who happens to be the Fianna Fáil party's director of elections. Is it true that his personally appointed political adviser, Monica Leech, sat on the interview board which awarded this tender to a company which had only been in existence for nine months and whose principal personality is the former Fianna Fáil general secretary? How can we have trust in this system?"

The Ceann Comhairle, Dr Rory O'Hanlon, said that Mr Kenny had made an allegation against a person who was not in a position to defend herself.

Mr Kenny replied: "I did not. I asked the Taoiseach to confirm whether or not that person sat on the interview board. I did not make an allegation."

Mr Ahern said he was trying to be serious about electronic voting and to talk about independent verification in Germany and Holland. "However, what this is really about is people trying to stir around a small issue." He added that Mr Kenny had asked a serious question. "He asked why it was €80,000 for three constituencies. It is slightly more costly to do the 42 constituencies. That is the reason. The contracts were put out in the proper way under a transparent system".