Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I wish to share time with Deputy Durkan.

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. As some contributors have said, the change in Limerick is major as it involves 17,000 voters coming in from the former Limerick East and 13,000 going to Kerry North-Limerick West. The electorate there are extremely concerned and do not understand the reason for such a change. One can understand small shifts but not such a major transfer. The electorate in those areas have known their Oireachtas representatives, particularly TDs, for a long period. While there have been changes from time to time, it has been a change of one TD, but in this case there is a change in representation for a population of 30,000, which is a step too far.

I have visited the new area extensively since the change was made and have been warmly welcomed. I look forward to the challenge of representing those people and I air their concerns in regard to the changes taking place and the lack of connectivity which develops with years of public representation. The large geographical area of Murroe, Doon, Cappamore, Palace Green, Oola, Hospital and other areas is involved also. The people who will transfer to the new constituency of Kerry North-Limerick West are angry at being removed from their own county. At least the area that is coming in from the east remains in Limerick while whole areas are being transferred to the centre of the constituency, which is Tralee. Areas that we represented very strongly and are geographically near me, such as Ardagh, Athea, Glin, Abbeyfeale, Monogay, Mount Collins and Templeglantine, have been part of Limerick West since 1948 and were part of Limerick prior to the foundation of the State in 1922.

While we look forward to the challenge, we do not understand how this happened. Obviously there was a choice. It was expected that a few parishes of Kerry North would be moved to Limerick West to make up the balance and that the changes would be minimal. We have had the experience in Mayo where two constituencies were amalgamated and the number of seats was reduced from six to five. There was an expectation that something similar would happen in Kerry, where Kerry North and Kerry South would be amalgamated into a five-seater constituency and thus there would be minimal changes in Limerick West and Limerick East. It is difficult to understand why such a change was made. There is no logic to it and the new constituency of the city, which effectively made up the majority of the previous Limerick East constituency, will lose a seat. When Fine Gael and Labour have the majority there, the last seat always goes to Fine Gael, but that seat has now been removed from the equation. The electorate of 30,000 may not vote as a protest, but I urge every one of those people to cast their votes and ensure that democracy survives as strongly as it always has done in that area.

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