Council informs woman who died two years ago she is dead

A woman who died two years ago has been informed she is dead by Carlow County Council and that unless she contacts its offices by November 25th it will delete her from the register of electors. If she has objections to this course of action, she has been asked to state them.

At least two living people have received the same letter informing them that they are dead. They have also been threatened with removal from the register of electors unless they contact the council's offices by November 25th. Both have since informed council officials that they are alive.

It is understood about 100 letters of this nature have been sent out by Carlow County Council.

Dated November 5th, but received at the home of the late Mrs Margaret Malone on November 11th, it advised her to "Please note that an entry on the register of electors in your name has been deleted for the following reason: DEATH. If you have any objections please notify me in writing, before November 25th, 1998, and state the grounds for your objection". It is signed "E Brophy, A(cting)/County Secretary". Mrs Malone died on November 12th, 1996.

Mr Eamonn Brophy, an administrative officer with Carlow County Council, was acting county secretary for a three-week period recently when an over-zealous computer decided to sort out the local register of electors. This followed instructions and guidelines issued by the Department of the Environment.

Mr Brophy explained that a pre-programmed, integrated computer package updated the register and printed about 3,000 letters to people informing them their names could be dropped. It printed his name at the bottom of the letters, put them in envelopes, and posted them. A sample was looked at and approved by council staff.

Mr Brophy was unaware that included in the batch were letters informing the dead they were dead and the living that they were dead. The first he heard of this was when he was contacted by the Nationalist and Leinster Times.

He knows of two living people who were informed that they are dead. Mr Brophy is now drafting a letter of apology to the living and relatives of the relevant dead. He hopes to explain how the unfortunate situation arose.

Mrs Dolly Shelly, daughter of Mrs Malone, said she was very upset by the letter and despite having contacted the council last Tuesday about the matter she had heard nothing since. She did not know what had happened until she listened to Mr Brophy on yesterday's Des Cahill Show on RTE radio. She thought the letter was "a sick joke" at first, particularly as it had no written signature, and is "absolutely annoyed at the council for the way it handled the matter". She would not be so annoyed had someone from the council spoken to her.

Meanwhile, it is understood the computer has been neutered.