Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

——that three-seat constituencies comply with the principle of proportional representation. Subsection 5 of Article 16.2 provides that members shall be elected in the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. This is followed by the provision that no law shall be enacted whereby the members to be returned in a constituency shall be less than three. Therefore, Bunreacht na hÉireann clearly envisages three-seat constituencies. While I accept that proportionality of proportional representation-single transferable vote in individual constituencies falls as the number of seats is reduced, it should be borne in mind that the number of three-seats proposed in the report, 18, has been exceeded——

See this speech in context