Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I am glad to have this opportunity to make a few brief comments on this subject. I listened with interest to the contributions of many speakers. Some Deputies would question whether it was a good idea to have this debate, but I believe it was and many good ideas have been raised during it.

Many Members expressed concern about the decisions of the boundary commission. It is an independent group set up to examine all electoral boundaries. When this process was dealt with by politicians, people were not happy and complained about it. Therefore, if we give people a job, we must accept their findings.

I represent Sligo-North Leitrim. County Leitrim is the county that has been most affected particularly by recommendations of the last two boundary commission reports. The report prior to this one split Leitrim in two thirds and one third between the constituencies of Roscommon-South Leitrim and Sligo-North Leitrim. Leitrim failed to elect a TD in the county. Leitrim is a proud county with proud people. They were aggrieved by what happened on the previous occasion.

Under the boundary revision before us, it is recommended that instead of Leitrim being split, in constituency division terms, in two thirds and one third where there was a chance of a TD being elected in south Leitrim, that it be split in two. Taking the population of Leitrim as being 25,000, if one divides that number in two and taking an electorate of even 75%, there is no way a Leitrim person could be elected to represent the county. As a public representative for that area, I will endeavour to do my best, as a Sligo person, to represent the people of Sligo-North Leitrim and, I hope I will represent the people within the new boundary commission's recommendations. Nevertheless, the people of Leitrim feel aggrieved.

There is something wrong when a county such as Leitrim, one of the smallest counties, is divided in two in constituency division terms. It is a bad idea. It is unfair to the people who live in the county that a politician in the county cannot get elected to the Dáil. It is physically impossible, given that the county does not have the numbers in terms of votes. The commission is independent and very little can be done about its recommendations in respect of that county.

I listened, with interest, to Deputy Burton's contribution. She spoke about the English system, with which I am not familiar. It is a rolling system and voter registration is examined on an ongoing basis. When a revision is due, a discussion takes place prior to it. It might not be a bad idea to follow that process here and perhaps it is a system we should examine.

The recommendations of the last boundary commission, particularly for the north west in terms of Sligo-Leitrim is not the way we should go. People were disappointed about that. I fully understand that the commission is independent, it has a job to do and politicians cannot be seen to interfere. If they did, they would be accused of gerrymandering in terms of boundaries. I am glad to have had this opportunity to make those few points.

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