Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I can see that the commission had no option but to recommend some changes in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency, as the -11.01% variance below the national average representation of its 2002 population to seats ratio is more than 3% greater than the largest variance recommended by the commission in the history of the State. In other words, this is because of the political and demographic realities to which Deputy Harkin referred. It was suggested that a solution to the problem there might be to increase the total number of seats to 168. This would have reduced the constituency's variance from its four seats to -9.94%, so that it would still have been necessary for the Commission to operate as it did. Such a measure would also have changed the variance for the other 41 existing constituencies, resulting in quite unacceptable variances across some constituencies. We have to look at the impact of that reality.

The commission brought forward its proposed solution for reasons already given. It is not proposed to depart from the package of recommendations that emerged from its deliberations. It would be wrong for us to revert to the situation where if we do not like what the commission has recommended, we do not accept it. We cannot adopt an À la carte approach and have any hope that people will take us seriously as politicians. We set up an independent commission and we gave it a task. Since it was established, the commission served us well and its reports have always been accepted by Members on all sides of the House, whether or not they were palatable. The commission has brought forward a solution and its recommendations on Leitrim are in line with constitutional requirements, particularly those relating to equality of representation. We have had constitutional cases on this issue. These cases make it very clear that there is an overriding responsibility to look at the equality of voters in Dublin, Leitrim, Donegal or wherever.

Deputy Harkin made much of the statistical attractiveness of six seaters. The best way of getting absolute representation would be to get a single constituency for the entire country. That was tried elsewhere and it had nothing to recommend it. Deputy Gilmore claimed that Dublin county boundaries do not have the same status as other county boundaries in the commission's statutory terms of reference. He is correct, as the new constituency boundaries are not dealt with in the same way as the traditional county boundaries. The Deputy wants the commission's terms of reference to require it to avoid breaching Dublin county boundaries in formulating Dáil constituencies. The boundaries of the 32 counties of Ireland have been a historic reality since 1604, when the last county boundary was formed. In the past 200 years, the counties have been a well established focus for community activity and I accept the point that was made about local loyalties. On the other hand, the administrative counties of Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire have been in existence for just ten years. While they are forging ahead in serving their communities, they do not yet have the distinct identity of the longer established counties. As the individual identities of these new counties develop over time, we could possibly revisit the issue but we cannot adjust the commission's terms of reference for the moment.

Deputy Finian McGrath referred to the constituency of Dublin North. Of the 42 existing constituencies, only three lost population between 1996 and 2002. These were Dublin North-East, Dublin North-West and the Deputy's constituency of Dublin North-Central. Taking these three adjoining constituencies together, the variance from the national average representation of their ten seats is equal to -9.41%. This requires significant changes to be made in existing constituency formation. Removing a seat from the area would have given an acceptable variation of 0.65% of the remaining nine seats. As Dublin North-East and Dublin-North West are already three seaters, neither could shed a seat, so any reduction had to come from the four seat constituency in Dublin North-Central. That does not suit some people, but that is the reality.

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