Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Given that the Bill has a wider remit than the report of the constituency commission, it is the former that I shall explore.

The main substance of the Bill is to give effect to the report of the constituency commission. When such a report is published, some people are inevitably disappointed while others are delighted. The debate will reflect those reactions. It is possible for the Oireachtas to amend the report or the terms of the report presented. It is for the Oireachtas to determine the constituencies which will apply at the time of the next general election.

I agree with the Minister that the report of the constituency commission should be viewed and accepted in its totality. To do otherwise would be to weaken the commission's independence and our acceptance of its independent assessment of the constituency boundaries. I do not want to see a return to the days when the constituency boundaries were, in effect, determined by whatever Government happened to be in office.

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