The Government is facing a bill running into millions of euro if it moves controversial electronic voting machines to a centralised location.
It has emerged that medium and long-term leases of up to 25 years have been signed on 12 of the current storage facilities around the State.
New figures from the Department of the Environment show that of the 21 storage facilities more than half are being rented by returning officers on leases of four years and nine months or more.
Last year Minister for the Environment Dick Roche announced that his department was examining the possibility of centralised storage for the 7,500 machines after it emerged that the annual cost of storing the machines is €696,000.
An old air hangar at Gormanston, Co Meath, has been identified as the most suitable central storage site, but the department is facing significant costs in buying out many of the leases.
The Government has already said that the machines will not be used at the next election.
The Commission on Electronic Voting is currently finalising its report on the security and accuracy of the machines, and this is due to be published by the time the Dáil finishes for its summer holidays in the first week of next month.
The longest lease relates to Monaghan, where the returning officer signed a 25-year lease at an annual rent of €25,828 on premises where 288 machines are stored.
The owner of the storage facility is a nephew of the returning officer. The returning officer has no beneficial interest in the building.
In Cork city the lease on the building, which is also owned by the city's returning officer, is for 10 years, while in Dublin city the premises, again owned by the Dublin city returning officer, is on an eight-year lease.
The returning officers who have bought premises to store machines have said it was the only option because they could not find suitable rental space.
Other long leases include Kerry (10 years), Kildare (nine years, nine months), Meath (nine years, nine months) and Waterford City (10 years).
Storage facilities in Limerick, Longford and Westmeath are on leases of four years and nine months. Most of the leases date back to two years ago.
In a written response to the Dáil providing information, Mr Roche said "it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage on detailed costs that might be involved in the buy-out of leases given the commercial considerations involved".
Yesterday Labour environment spokesman Eamon Gilmore described the situation as "completely daft" given that electronic voting has already cost over €50 million. "One of these leases is for longer than the 20-year lifespan of the machines." He said the department should examine the possibility of selling the machines to another jurisdiction where similar technology is used.