Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Members for their engagement today. The Electoral (Amendment) Bill gives effect to recommendations of the Electoral Commission in respect of the total membership of the next Dáil. The Bill does not provide, at this stage, for revisions to the European Parliament constituencies. During the Second Stage debate in the Dáil, I indicated that amendments to the Bill would be required in respect of the constituencies for the European Parliament elections following the European Council decision of 22 September, which gives an additional seat to the Republic of Ireland, bringing the total to 14. As Members will be aware, the Electoral Commission published its European Parliament constituencies report last Monday and has recommended a three-constituency configuration, with Dublin unchanged as a four-seater and with the South constituency to retain five seats but to transfer the counties of Laois and Offaly to the Midlands-North-West constituency which, with the addition of those two counties, will increase by one seat to five. I am proposing to bring forward amendments which provide for the revised European Parliament constituencies, as recommended by An Coimisiún Toghcháin on Report Stage. The coimisiún has also confirmed to me that there was a technical drafting error in the description of the Cork South-Central constituency in its report published in August. In that context, I will be bringing forward a technical amendment to correct a drafting error on Report Stage. I just wanted to let members and the Cathaoirleach know that I will be bringing forward those two amendments on Report Stage.