A Sunday Tribune investigation last month found that the new electoral register is out by up to 860,000 voters, leaving enormous potential for voter fraud in the next election.

Gilmore says the government is "doing nothing" to fix the problem. "You have to wonder at this stage, if there isn't a government agenda that it suits them to have an inaccurate register, " he said.

When it was put to him that these were strong words, he replied: "They are in charge and they're not fixing it."

The government had a responsibility to correct the register and by failing to do so, "they're now being irresponsible, " Gilmore said.

A spokesman for environment minister Dick Roche rejected suggestions that it suited the government not to address the register.

"The minister would totally refute that, " the spokesman said. He added that the minister had issued guidelines to local authorities on compiling the register and provided additional resources.

Minister Roche accepted there was a problem with the register and "will do all in his power to address the problem, " the spokesman said.

The minister is due to answer a Dail question this week on a proposal from the Labour party to use next month's census of population . . . when census enumerators will be calling to every house in the country . . . to also correct the register of electors.

His spokesman refused to be drawn on the response, but it is thought unlikely that the government will take up this suggestion.

Speaking in the Dail recently, chief whip Tom Kitt said there was "no scope for additional duties" for enumerators.

Asked by Labour leader Pat Rabbitte if he was aware of "the recent work by the Sunday Tribune" highlighting the crisis in the voter database, Kitt confirmed that "there are serious issues to be addressed on the electoral register."

However, Eamon Gilmore believes the government's approach to tackling the register is wholly inadequate.

"I don't think they're serious about it, other than 'this is a matter for the local authorities, do your best'. The census is a practical opportunity to do something about the problem.

"This is a government that went off on an adventure with electronic voting when the money would have been better spent on the electoral register.

"Given such a mistake, there is now an obligation on them to fix the thing that's actually broken.

"It's like having a good family car that needs a bit of repair work, but instead you go out and buy a Ferrari that you can't use, " Gilmore said.