Constituency changes:Extensive changes to more than 20 Dáil constituency boundaries are contained in recommendations published by the Constituency Commission yesterday.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley said last night he had asked his department to prepare a Bill to give effect to the report's recommendations.
The commission recommends that two constituencies should each gain an extra seat (Dublin West to increase from three to four seats, and Louth to increase from four to five seats).
It recommends two other constituencies should lose a seat (Dún Laoghaire to decrease from five to four, and Limerick East - to be renamed Limerick City - to decrease from five to four).
Overall, the number of Dáil seats will remain at 166, spread across 43 constituencies.
The changes are aimed at ensuring equality of representation in the Dáil and European Parliament across the State. Population changes evident in last year's census showed that some constituencies were either over- or under-represented.
The redrawing of Dáil constituency boundaries will lead to new breaches in the county boundaries of Kerry/Limerick, Louth/ Meath and Offaly/Tipperary.
In the southwest, parts of west Limerick will join north Kerry, resulting in an enlarged three-seat constituency, Kerry North- West Limerick.
Within Limerick, the old Limerick-East (five-seater) and Limerick-West (three-seater) constituencies will be replaced by Limerick City (four seats) and Limerick (three seats).
Louth will become a five-seater, increasing its number of Dáil seats by one. This will be done by extending the constituency southwards to include Drogheda and hinterland areas in a single constituency.
Parts of the adjoining Meath West constituency - including Kells - will also be transferred to Meath East, keeping both as three-seaters.
In Offaly/Tipperary, parts of south Offaly just north of Roscrea will be transferred to Tipperary North. This is because the Laois/ Offaly constituency is over-represented.
Under the Constitution, the number of TDs in the Dáil shall not be fixed at less than one for each 30,000 of the population, or at more than one member for each 20,000 of the population. Based on the 2006 population census, the national average representation will be 25,541 per TD.
While the recommended changes are aimed at ensuring there is more equitable representation in the Dáil, there will still be areas over-represented or under-represented in relative terms.
For example, the highest number of persons per TD will be in Carlow-Kilkenny constituency (a variance of +4.7 per cent from national average representation). The lowest number of persons per member will be in the Cavan-Monaghan constituency (a variance of -6 per cent from national average representation).
Overall, the number of five-seat constituencies will fall from 12 to 11, while the number of four-seaters will increase from 13 to 15. The number of three seaters will fall from 18 to 17.
In Kildare, where the population has changed by 14 per cent since 2002, the commission recommends transferring an electoral division in the north-west and one in the north-east of Kildare South to Kildare North. This will keep Kildare South as a three-seater and Kildare North as a four-seater.
The largest number of submissions on an issue received by the commission related to including all of Co Leitrim in one constituency. The commission said, however, it was not possible to find a solution that met the concerns in the submissions and had no undesirable impact on the configuration of other constituencies.
The only change is that some of the electoral division in the north of the existing Roscommon-South Leitrim constituency will be transferred into Sligo-North Leitrim.
In European terms, the commission says Dublin should lose a seat, while Longford and Westmeath should transfer from the East constituency to the Northwest. (Ireland is already due to lose a seat under the terms of the European reform treaty).
In all, revisions will be made to constituencies including Cork East, Cork North-Central, Cork North-West, Donegal North-East, Donegal South-West, Dublin North, Dublin North-Central, Dublin North-East, Dublin South, Kerry North, Kerry South, Kildare North, Kildare South, Laois-Offaly, Limerick West, Meath East, Meath West, Roscommon-South Leitrim, Sligo-North Leitrim and Tipperary North.
Mr Gormley said he would bring forward proposals for a Bill to give effect to the recommended changes. Deputies from all sides of the House would have the opportunity to raise any issues with the recommendations during a Dáil debate on the legislation.
"In the past governments of all hues have brought forward Bills to give effect to commission recommendations without amendment, and it is my firm view that this practice should continue," Mr Gormley said.
The report is available at www.constituency-commission.ie
