Census enumerators should deliver and collect voter-registration forms as well as census data from households to correct the huge errors in the electoral register, the Dáil was told.
Former Labour leader Ruairí Quinn described the current register as an "absolute farce", and said €50 million would be spent to conduct the census, which takes place on Sunday, April 23rd.
"It would cost nothing extra to ask the enumerators to deliver and collect two forms rather than one."
The Central Statistics Office "does not want to deliver the register forms but its officials do not get elected - we do," he said, calling for "decisive action" by the Cabinet.
Tánaiste Mary Harney said the TD's suggestion "makes sense", but the CSO believed "it would be too cumbersome".
It is estimated that at least 300,000 more people are on the electoral register than are eligible to vote. One newspaper report suggested the figure could be out by up to 860,000.
Ms Harney said Minister for the Environment Dick Roche discussed the issue at Cabinet recently and planned to "come forward with an initiative. There may well be a role for the postal service".
She said if using the enumerators was not the chosen method, "we will ensure some route is found to get the register in order before the next election".
Mr Roche's initiative "will not affect the next election", said Mr Quinn. The Government had an opportunity to address this in four weeks' time.
"ESB and postal staff will not provide the data that can be collected by the enumerators.
"All that is needed is decisive action from the Cabinet to direct the director general of the CSO to do the job."
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said the only thing preventing Mr Quinn's suggestion from happening "is that we are hidebound by tradition".
"Why can't the Cabinet make a decision to cause the CSO enumerators to deliver the second form?"
He said it was "pure tradition that 'we never did it this way, so we will not do it'."
Michael Ring (FG, Mayo) also supported the suggestion.
He said the "local authorities have let the side down because they are not doing the job".
Catherine Murphy (Ind, Kildare North) said the census informs future constituency boundary changes, and "there is a decent chance that one of the Kildare constituencies could exceed the 30,000 population threshold set down in the Constitution".
Ms Harney said there was no plan in the short term to change constituency boundaries.
She said when she first became involved in politics it was the task of party members to ensure the register was up to date.
"I know from talking to my constituency workers that as they go door to door the names on the register are very different from those of the households."
She said some route would be found to get the electoral register in order before the next election.
