The Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, will today strongly support the introduction of electronic voting throughout the State despite growing concerns among a number of Ministers about his plans.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, last night insisted that the Government would persist with its ambition to use 7,000 NEDAP voting machines in all constituencies in the June local and European Parliament elections on June 11th. However, Mr Cullen will not be able to put detailed legislation before this morning's Cabinet meeting as the heads of legislation may not emerge until later this week from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
Rejecting charges that the Government was "wobbling" on the issue, Department of the Environment sources said the Minister, who was out of the country on EU duties last week, intended to "push full steam ahead".
Speaking in Waterford, Mr Cullen said: "I have a very clear view myself on how we proceed from here, and I will be making those views known. All of the fears have been, in my view, allayed, and we will allay any more that need to be allayed."
However, senior Fianna Fáil TDs remain doubtful that legislation can be introduced in time to enforce changes announced last week, including the creation of an independent panel to verify that polling is correctly handled.
The Cabinet meeting is expected to spark a lively discussion. One Government source told The Irish Times: "Quite honestly, I can't tell you if it will go ahead. The debate at the meeting will be important. It will be crucial. A number of people have clear concerns that the debate that we have had might have eroded public confidence in the system."
Questioned last night, Mr Ahern said the Republic of Ireland, "as the world's largest exporter of software", should embrace electronic voting.
However, it was clear Mr Ahern had not yet been briefed on the steps Mr Cullen intends to take in coming days to restore the confidence of voters concerned about the new system.
The legislation could be confined "to an eight or 10-section Bill", a Department of the Environment source told The Irish Times, which could be brought into effect immediately it became law.
Labour TD Mr Eamon Gilmore has warned the Government that it would face a major battle if it sought to curb Oireachtas debate on Mr Cullen's legislation by using a guillotine.