According to Sean Donnelly, the country's top election expert, 302 candidates have already declared for the next contest which is probably still a year away.

There are 57 women among those already selected. Proportionally, the Greens are still the party that is most friendly to women candidates. Fourteen constituencies so far have no women on the ballot paper . . . that's four more than in 2002.

Interestingly, however, the voters in Dublin Mid-West might have more women than men contesting, although it's a slim possibility.

Mary Harney will be joined on the ballot paper by Labour Senator Joanna Tuffy, Francis Fitzgerald of Fine Gael and Sinn Fein's Joanne Spain. But a few party add-ons in the next few weeks may just tip the balance back in the favour of the men once more. The increased role of women in British politics in the last decade was helped by New Labour's active promotion of gender quotas when selecting candidates while research indicates that women are more likely than men to embark on a political career if they are encouraged to do so by the party leaderships. So without some positive discrimination . . . and the retirements of Sile de Valera of Fianna Fail and Labour's Breeda Moynihan Cronin . . . it seems the next Dail with be as male dominated as all previous ones.

Bertie's wild goose chase for voters

BERTIE Ahern has obviously marked down Charlie McCreevy's old stomping ground of Kildare North as a marginal constituency, and he's right. Fianna Fail came close to taking two out of three seats in Kildare North in 2002 but after the by-election caused by McCreevy's resignation, the party faces into the next election without a sitting TD in what is now a four-seat constituency.

This difficult situation may explain the Taoiseach's diary last Thursday . . . Musgrave Distribution Centre, Kilcock, 11.10am; Clane GAA Club, 12.15pm and St Wolstan's Community School, Celbridge, 1.00pm.

Still, Labour's Emmet WITH Noel Dempsey still sitting on confirmation of the latest increase in the television license fee, it was nice to see the Taoiseach doing his bit for audience figures at the national broadcaster last week. Green Party leader Trevor Sargent wanted to ask Bertie Ahern about the environmental record of the Australian government led by John Howard (LEFT), who visited Leinster House last week. "I have been asked by the Green Party in Australia to ask the Taoiseach if he will question the prime minister about his record, " Sargent said. Now, it's hard enough for the opposition leaders in Dail Eireann to get Ahern to answer their own questions.

So posing a question on behalf of an opposition leader at the other end of the world was probably a little too ambitious. "The deputy has made a number of points about what the Green Party of Australia would like to say to its own prime minister, " Ahern stated. No response there, so Sargent tried again. "Did the Taoiseach raise these issues with him?" Suddenly, there was some progress to report . . . as Ahern replied . . . "I did not but, perhaps, if I get a chance, I will tell the prime minister to watch Oireachtas Report tonight." Last word to an exasperated Sargent;

"That is the kind of glib response I have come to expect."

Vintage wine is a ForeignAffair NEWS of the wine cellar at the Department of Foreign Affairs prompted Ciaran Cuffe of the Greens to inquire about the vintage stock held by other governments. Sadly, few ministers can enjoy a tipple like the incumbents at Foreign Affairs. Most departments are without even a single bottle of plonk, not to mention vintage wine. "My department does not have a wine cellar, " Micheal Martin confirmed. As it was a written reply there is no way of knowing if this information was issued with deep regret.

Stagg . . . who was following Ahern's entourage . . . tells me there weren't too many voters to be met.

According to Stagg, half the workers at Musgrave were Polish while most of the students at St Wolstan's don't yet qualify to vote.

What Martin did reveal, however, was that "a review" undertaken after receipt of Cuffe's query located six bottles of wine at his Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Visitors beware . . . four of the 2002 Italian Cabernet Sauvignon cost a mere 9.05 a bottle. Over the last few months, the Department of Health has splashed out 938 on 117 bottles of wine, Mary Harney confirmed, while Willie O'Dea revealed that a search of the Defence department found 45 bottles of plonk. Gulp.