Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Labour Party is opposed, on two grounds, to a guillotine being imposed on the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, which will revise Dáil constituencies. As a matter of principle, the Government should not use its majority, in the form of a guillotine, to enact legislation on the revision of constituencies because the latter are at the heart of our electoral and democratic system.

Furthermore, we cannot adopt the proposal before the House. On Report Stage on 16 June, the House agreed to recommit section 3 in order to address an issue I raised, namely, the likelihood that it will emerge from the census in 2006 that, on foot of an increase and change in the location of population, significant revision of Dáil boundaries will be required. If the election is held after the publication of the census figures in 2006, it may give rise to legal proceedings and constitutional questions in respect of the Bill. The recommitted Committee Stage of section 3 is still in progress. The House adjourned without concluding the Committee Stage debate on section 3 and it is not possible to make an order for the resumed Report and Final Stage of the Bill until the Committee Stage debate is concluded.

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