Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 3, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: "(3) An Coimisiún Toghcháinshall conduct research and, within 18 months of the passing of this Act, make such recommendations as it considers appropriate to Dáil Éireann on—

(a) an appropriate reconstitution of electoral divisions in the State in accordance with objective criteria that take into account the size and distribution of the population, and

(b) discontinuance of the use of former rural districts,

for the purpose of defining and revising Dáil constituencies and local electoral areas.".

This amendment could be described as technical, albeit it has a somewhat more substantial point than amendment No. 1. It is tabled in a constructive spirit to ensure the legislation will be up to date and fit for purpose. In this regard we believe it is anomalous that, like its predecessors, the newly established commission will still do its work by reassigning electoral divisions and former rural districts between constituencies. It is somewhat amusing to see in section 1 that reference to "a former rural district" is still there. Rural districts were abolished almost 100 years ago in 1925 with the abolition of rural district councils. Since they no longer exist, they cannot be redrawn to reflect current realities. They have a ghostly presence as building blocks in constituency definitions but they are ghosts.

We are simply looking to update the provision. We propose the commission should carry out research and report on its recommendations on the reconstitution of electoral divisions, in accordance with standard and objective criteria that reflect not only the current population but the reality that these ghost entities are no longer in use. I have given the Minister a more detailed explanation for tabling the amendment in my letter and I am happy to go into the poor law system of the 1830s and the history behind it.