Constituency Commission Report Recommends Sweeping Changes

Sweeping changes to Dáil boundaries and the overall number of TDs, have been proposed by the Constituency Commission.

It report has recommended a reduction in the number of TDs from 166 to 158 and that the redrawn Dáil map be made up of 40 constituencies, down from 43.

There would be 11 five-seat areas, 16 would have four and 13 would have three.

Only eight existing constituencies would remain unchanged: Carlow/Kilkenny, Clare, Longford/Westmeath, Louth, Meath East, Meath West, Wexford and Wicklow.

In the capital, the new constituency of Dublin Bay North would merge Dublin North East and Dublin North Central.

For reasons of symmetry, the Commission said it proposed the renaming of Dublin South East as Dublin Bay South.

Dublin North gains 26,000 voters and becomes Dublin Fingal.

Dublin West loses 17,000 voters but gains 13,000 from Dublin Central to remain a four-seat constituency.

The report goes on to detail changes throughout constituencies.

Fianna Fáil’s Dara Calleary asked Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore in the Dáil if the Government accepted the findings of the report and whether any legislative changes would arise from it.

Mr Gilmore said that the Government normally agreed to the findings of the report but that it had not had time to study it.

He said that debate on the findings would be done through the introduction of the Bill and there would not be an advance debate on it.

(H)