James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I thank the commission for its hard work and for the fair and equitable conclusion it has reached within the geographical constraints. On the law of averages this will mean some discontent at the end of the process. One journalist suggested, tongue in cheek, that there was much to be said for the days when the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government took a pen to the State's map and lovingly gerrymandered a new set of constituencies. The journalist hastily restored his tongue to its normal place, however, and said that obviously no one wanted to go back to the days of the "Tullymander". This, as we all know, was a time when artistic talents were given free rein.

The main areas of discontent include the transfer of parts of County Offaly into Tipperary North, the creation of the new Kerry North-West Limerick constituency and the continued division of my neighbouring County Leitrim. Transparency is the essence of democracy and I agree with previous speakers who spoke on this Bill and felt it would be beneficial to hold a public meeting after the commission had issued its preliminary report to allow voters to contribute their views to the process. This could serve to resolve the widespread apprehension, particularly in counties such as Leitrim and Offaly and in parts of Limerick and Kerry. I particularly welcome the provision for a new constituency review to immediately follow publication of the next preliminary census figures in summer 2011, rather than waiting for the final report the following April. If, as now seems unlikely, a general election will not take place before 2012, the next election could see totally revamped constituencies.

As regards my constituency, Longford-Westmeath, I am delighted the commission saw fit to retain the status quo. The constituency was restored by the previous commission to rectify what was seen to be an unsustainable realignment. This is an historical constituency in the midlands and remains a four-seater, with the continued representation of four Deputies, although there is a sufficient population for a five-seater, given the section of Westmeath that has been brought back from the Meath West constituency. A five-seater constituency in Longford-Westmeath would make sense, although I have no worries in that regard. I work hard on behalf of my constituents and have nothing to fear. However, the population would justify a five-seater constituency.

Certainly, there was discontent in the midlands when the historical bond between the counties of Longford and Westmeath was broken. An apparently arbitrary decision saw Longford realigned with Roscommon, which not only broke the historical bond, but geographical boundaries. It made no sense whatsoever, because there were only two connections between Longford and Roscommon, as there still are. The River Shannon divides the counties, and two bridges link the two counties. That particular set-up did not make much sense and I am glad it was rectified. From what Deputy Mary O'Rourke, my constituency colleague, said in her contribution, it appears the commission need not have set parameters at all, as she is happy to cross constituency boundaries, apparently in the spirit of the whole of Ireland being her constituency, taking on the work of every other public representative by default, regardless of whether they like it, or whether there is time left for the people she is supposed to represent.

As regards the European Parliament, the commission has recommended that Longford-Westmeath be moved from the East constituency to that of North-East. As a Deputy who takes pride in our heritage and culture, I believe that in naming the EU constituencies we should not have lost touch with the old historical identity of the provinces, which pre-dates the counties. I feel strongly that we should, in some way, have retained the connection with the provinces and I regret the commission did not see fit to name the constituencies, where possible, after them. With this transfer of the counties of Longford and Westmeath, variants of the East and North-East constituencies are closely aligned. Both are three-seat constituencies. The change will result in the loss of one MEP.

It is essential that the democratic process is seen to be impartial and transparent, which brings me to the important matter of the electoral system. We discussed this earlier with the Minister, as regards the electoral register and the urgent need to set up the electoral commission to sort out the appalling and indeed, frightening, inadequacies of the register, which meant people were unable to exercise their democrat right to vote. Belated attempts by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to update and reform the register before the 2007 general election woefully failed. Some €12 million of taxpayers' money was blatantly squandered and 1,500 field workers visited 1.25 million households, but there was still widespread chaos on polling day, with potential voters often having to face insurmountable difficulties. We all witnessed this in our constituencies throughout the country during the general election last year. People were being added to or subtracted from the register on apparent whims, with many receiving letters to inform them their names are being removed. In my constituency the numbers on the register far exceeded the population figures. The adult population of Longford at the time was 24,810, yet the draft register contains 27,132 names, a difference of 2,322 or 9%. Westmeath has an adult population of 57,141, with 59,791 names on the draft register, a differential of 2,650 or 5%. As the maintenance of the electoral register was never intended to be a function of local authorities, given the urgent need for a rolling register, updated on a continuous basis, it is essential that an independent commission or office be established with its own job specific staff. A delegation from the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government visited Northern Ireland and met Dr. Douglas Bain. We witnessed an example of how the system should work. Dr. Bain informed us the system had an accuracy rate in the high 90s. This model should be followed in the Republic and was recommended in the report of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Such a national body has been highly effective in Northern Ireland and other jurisdictions.

I very much support the establishment of an electoral commission with total responsibility for the maintenance of the electoral register. I entered local government in 1985 and, election after election, have encountered problems. It is time for us to face up to the problems encountered during the years and address them to the satisfaction not alone of public representatives but the electorate generally. I hope the Minister will take my comments on board.

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