Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, which will have a dramatic effect on the electoral hinterlands across Ireland. As part of this Government's programme of political reform the Bill provides, for the first time since 1980, a reduction in the number of Members of this House. A number of commentators have argued that it will have little impact but I believe a further reduction in the number of Deputies will have a greater impact on the western seaboard than on the east due to the population imbalance in the country. The Bill proposes to reduce the number of Deputies from 166 to 158. There will be 40 constituencies, of which 11 will have five seats, 16 will have four seats and 13 will have three seats.

The loss of eight Deputies comes largely from the west, including counties Cavan, Mayo, Donegal and Kerry. Population should always be the basis for determining the allocation of Dáil seats but it is clear that certain constituencies will be formed from large geographic areas. I welcome the proposal to reunite County Leitrim politically in the new Sligo-Leitrim constituency, which will comprise counties Sligo and Leitrim alongside west County Cavan and parts of south County Donegal. County Leitrim was divided on two occasions since 2007, which were cruel blows to a county with a population of 30,000. The divisions deprived the county of a full range of candidates as parties sought to achieve a particular result. I found that many people in the county grew disillusioned with politics. The people of Drumshanbo were included with County Roscommon for the 2007 election only to be moved to County Sligo in 2011. This was unfair and anti-democratic. The decision of the electoral commission to propose the reunification of County Leitrim has received widespread approval and results in a good day for the people of the county.

The people of west County Cavan are disappointed because they are now separated from the rest of the county. I am concerned that the distances from Bundoran to Roosky and Ballina to Ballyconnell are 90 km and 127 km, respectively, which is a huge distance to cover. That is the downside of reduced representation in the north west and west.

The terms of reference for the commission will see a reduction of 29 in the number of county council members in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Roscommon and Longford. This equates to a reduction of 25% in political representation, not counting the proposed abolition of six town councils and one borough council. When I hear so-called experts demanding further reductions in political representation I ask them to study the impact of such reductions on parts of Ireland with relatively sparse populations.

The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is implementing reform in this Bill and through his proposals to reform local government. Given that the country continues to run a current deficit of almost €1 billion per month it is incumbent on us to reduce our cost base in every sector, including this House. Reducing the number of Deputies was a commitment in the programme for Government, with the objective of reducing the cost and size of government. Savings of approximately €2.2 million are forecast as a result of this reduction. It is also estimated that a further €420 million will be saved through the putting people first proposals which were recently launched by the Minister. Much of this saving will be achieved through fewer committees and members across a broad range of political representatives.

The legislative framework for the next general election will be different to that for previous elections due to the proposed reduction in the number of Deputies and the requirement in the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 that parties must ensure at least 30% of their candidates are women if they are to receive State funding. However, with a reduced number of Deputies there may in fact be fewer women Members. I have no doubt there will be more female candidates but the outcome remains to be seen.

The Bill proposes to reduce the number of three seat constituencies to 13, the lowest in the history of the State. It will be interesting to see the political impact of that reduction. When the current 166 Dáil seats were provided for in 1980 the population of the State was 36% smaller. In real terms this means the number of seats is being reduced by eight. Irish people engage more with their local representatives than in other democracies in western Europe. This engagement allows them to discuss the national and international issues of the day and makes for better engagement between the people and the Oireachtas. A further reduction in the number of Deputies would be detrimental to that close relationship.

The Government proposes to put the future of the Seanad to the people in a referendum late next year. If the people agree to abolish the Seanad, Leinster House will have 68 fewer politicians after the 2016 election and there will be 700 fewer councillors. This Government's intention to introduce reform can be clearly seen in the reduction in representation. The much maligned Minister, Deputy Hogan, is to the forefront of this process. He is the first Minister in many years brave enough to reduce the number of politicians in Ireland.

Rather than continually highlighting what they see as mistakes, his detractors should acknowledge his efforts in both the central and local government area to reduce numbers and introduce real reform. I commend the Bill to the House.

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