Credit card firms' info 'more detailed than electoral register'

Credit card firms have more information on people than the Government’s Electoral Register, it was claimed in the Dáil today.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte claimed that 6,000 names have been deleted from the list in the latest revision, including party TD and frontbench spokesman Jack Wall.

Mr Rabbitte called on the Minister for Finance Brian Cowen to take personal responsibility for the issue.

Speaking during Leaders’ Questions, Mr Rabbitte said: “We’re boasting about how wealthy a nation we are and we can’t even compile the most basic electoral register accurately.

“There are banks, finance houses and credit card companies that have more accurate records of the citizenry than does the electoral register.”

Mr Rabbitte, who said he received dozens of phone calls and emails from constituents on the issue, said some people cannot go to their local Garda stations because they have been closed down.

“The great majority who have been deleted will not put it right and there will be a great deal of anger on polling day when they find our they’re not on the electoral register.”

Mr Cowen, who was representing the Taoiseach, said the compilation of the electoral register would the most comprehensive ever.

He said the population had undergone dramatic changes since the last General Election.