Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has said there is “red-hot interest” across the political system for the upcoming completion of the electoral constituency review.
The publication of the population figures as per the latest Census meant the Electoral Commission had to report and make recommendations in relation to constituencies regarding the number of elected members to the Dáil and the election of MEPs.
At the end of May, the CSO said Ireland’s population had increased by 8 per cent to 5.15 million in Census 2022.
Under the Irish constitution, the number of members of Dáil Eireann cannot be fixed at “less than one member for each 30,000 of the population or at more than one member for each 20,000 of the population”.
The ratio between the number of elected members for each constituency and the population of each constituency should, where practicable, be the same throughout the country.
Under provisions of the Constitution, the Commission must recommended that the number of members in the Dáil be not less than 171 but not more than 181.
There are currently 160 members.
Additionally, each constituency should have between three and five elected members.
The commission has to consider other matters such as ensuring constituencies are contiguous areas, avoid breaching county boundaries, and having regard to significant physical geographic considerations.
In relation to European Parliament constituencies, the number of members elected is deemed by European treaties.
The highly-anticipated review has the potential to shake-up the political arithmetic of the Dail in the future.
Speaking to reporters at Government Buildings to launch of a plan to increase use of centralised procurement arrangements, Mr Donohoe said: “When the maps come out and we will sit down to unfold the maps to see what the boundaries of our constituency are going to be, there is a red-hot interest all over the political system in what will be the conclusions from the Commission.
“There’s much speculation from many of my colleagues regarding what the maps will look like, and I know that at the end of August, they are going to be pored over by all of us to see what it means for our futures.”
He acknowledged that a previous change of boundaries impacted his “former and missed” party colleague Noel Rock, who lost his seat in 2020.
He said: “But this is why these maps and the location of these red lines will be studied by everybody in politics.
“And I, like everybody else, await with great interest to see what those maps are going to be.”
Mr Donohoe said there was also an importance of “keeping up your work” with constituents.
“It is those efforts that we are all focusing on at the moment,” he added.
