Internal FG paper sets out options for European ‘super-constituencies’

An internal Fine Gael paper has set out options for the two new “super-constituencies” which may be created for next year’s European elections.

The paper sets out six different options for constituency changes.

The number of European Parliament seats is being reduced from 12 to 11 ahead of next year’s elections, which will mean a reduction in the number of constituencies from four to three. That will leave one constituency in Dublin and two for the rest of the country.

The first two scenarios set out a three-seat Dublin constituency and two with four seats. The first takes in the current North-West constituency plus Louth, Meath, Laois and Offaly. The second places Laois and Offaly in the South constituency while moving Kildare into the northern constituency.

The third option puts all three counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly in the Northern constituency while putting Clare, which has been in North-West for over a decade, back in with the other Munster counties in the South constituency.

The fourth option envisages a five-seater in the South, which would take in Kildare, Laois and Offaly as well as Clare. Dublin would remain a three-seater, while the current North-West constituency (along with Louth, Meath, Longford and Westmeath) remains a three-seater.

The last two options envisage a scenario where the constituency of Dublin is expanded to take in its commuter belt.

A new super five-seat constituency would be formed taking in Dublin, Louth, Meath, Kildare, Wicklow and Wexford, with the two other two constituencies being reduced to three seaters.

It is expected that the option that will be chosen next month is a three-seat Dublin constituency and two other constituencies spanning the south and north of the country.