78. (1) Not less than 4 days (disregarding any excluded day) before the polling day the returning officer shall give written notice to each candidate of the time and place at which he or she will proceed to count the votes and of the number of agents each candidate may appoint to be present at the counting of the votes.

(2) The returning officer, the assistants and clerks of the returning officer, members of the Garda Síochána on duty, the agents of the candidates duly appointed for the purpose under this Schedule may be present at the counting of the votes and no other person shall be present without the permission of the returning officer.

(3) The returning officer shall give the agents of the candidates all such reasonable facilities for overseeing the proceedings at the counting of the votes (including, in particular, facilities for satisfying themselves that the ballot papers have been correctly sorted) and all such information with respect thereto as the returning officer can give them consistent with the orderly conduct of the proceedings and the performance of the functions of the returning officer.