Labour deputy removed from list of voters

A Labour TD has had his name removed from the draft elector of registers even though he had filled out forms confirming he was…

A Labour TD has had his name removed from the draft elector of registers even though he had filled out forms confirming he was living at the same address.

South Kildare TD Jack Wall, who has been living at the same house in Athy for the last 32 years, was removed from the register as part of the national campaign to update the electoral register and delete hundreds of thousands of names incorrectly on the current document.

He said a person checking the register took his details. "A local girl did it and she took details of the whole family," he said.

"I don't know what happened but my wife Áine and daughter Catherine are on the register but my name wasn't." Mr Wall is the most high-profile name to be removed by mistake from the register as part of the update plan.

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Local authorities have removed upwards of 500,000 names from the register as part of the review.

Mr Wall called for the register to be linked to the PPS system, claiming it would prevent names being removed from the register by mistake. His comments came as the Oireachtas environment committee called to extend the November 25th closing date to correct the draft register.

During a private meeting, TDs and Senators from all parties said they were concerned by reports about names being removed.Labour environment spokesman Éamon Gilmore said the motion "indicates that concern about the state of the electoral register extends across all parties".

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche rejected suggestions the new draft register had inaccuracies. "This year for the very first time we've actually decided to do a very thorough job on the register," he said.