Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I heard Deputies Joe O'Reilly, Heather Humphreys and Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin outline clearly the ludicrousness of this proposal. Whoever is elected in the new constituency will have to deal with four local authorities and I do not know how many HSE regions they will cover.

The terms of reference quoted by Deputy John O'Mahony are worth referring to again. They set out that the constituency commission should, in observing the relevant provisions of the Constitution on Dáil constituencies, have regard to the following: the total number of Members of the Dáil and the need to avoid, as far as practicable, the breaching of county boundaries. I do not have a problem with the reduction in the number of Members or the requirement in each constituency to have three, four or five seats, but the constituency commission has not adhered to the need to avoid breaching county boundaries. It is further required to ensure constituencies comprise contiguous areas. The centre of Cavan to the Atlantic is not contiguous. If a person from Cavan intends to travel to south Donegal, he or she will travel through the Six Counties via County Fermanagh. If the constituency commission set out to ensure it breached the guidelines it was given, it could not have done so more thoroughly.

I refer again to the terms of reference which state regard should be had to geographic considerations, including significant physical features and the extent and density of population in each constituency. Coastal counties have been included with counties in the midlands. The terms of reference also state the constituency commission should, subject to certain provisions, endeavour to maintain continuity in the arrangement of constituencies. Cavan and Monaghan have never had their county boundaries breached. There was an outcry by the people of County Leitrim to have their county unified, which is fair enough. However, I take exception to Fine Gael public representatives in County Leitrim who, in advocating the unification of their own county, advocated the division of County Cavan. When that party's representatives seek the support of the electorate in west and south Cavan, they will be reminded that County Cavan has been divided and that Fine Gael was to the forefront in the lobbying in that regard. The reports also suggest lobbying paid off in a big way. I do not blame the people of County Leitrim for lobbying; they were right to do so, but it should not be done on the basis of dividing another county.

Swords was divided by the previous constituency commission, which was also ludicrous. I canvassed in the Dublin West by-election over a year ago and the people of Swords said the division was an issue for them. Deputy Alan Farrell spoke about the unification of Swords and the need to take into account growth in population. While Cavan is a vast rural county, it showed the third highest increase in population in the last census. Fingal, Laois and Cavan all experienced similar increases in population of approximately 14%. The county is being punished, notwithstanding the fact that its population is at its highest level in many decades. If teenagers with little knowledge or interest in politics were asked to formulate configurations for Dáil boundaries, they would not come up with the suggestion south Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and west and south Cavan should form a constituency.

Members who spoke earlier referred to the proposed abolition of town councils, something with which I disagree entirely. While I have never served on a local authority, I value the input of people who work on a voluntary basis at town and county council level. We have the ludicrous position in Belturbet, County Cavan, that the town will be split between two constituencies. It is farcical. I have mentioned that many public services in Cavan and Monaghan are delivered on a two-county basis. Many of our voluntary organisations are organised on a Cavan-Monaghan basis. This is because the two counties have a great deal in common. A pattern of local representation at community, county and constituency level is being shredded.

Knowing some of the very competent public servants who sat on the constituency commission, I am astonished that they signed off on the report. I do not know if it has yet been placed in the public domain, but I would like to see the preparatory documentation which was placed before the constituency commission by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. I would love to see the permutations and combinations submitted. Counties Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath have always been regarded as a unit and constituencies which include them should be configured on the basis of a north-east geographical area. The report is most disappointing and the people of Cavan and Monaghan are absolutely furious. The people who live in that large part of County Cavan who are being significantly disenfranchised are furious that for the first time in the history of the State their county boundaries are not being left intact. This is most disappointing. We will bring forward proposals on Committee Stage to seek a review of this matter.

I heard Deputy John O'Mahony speak about how county boundaries had once again been breached in the west. We are going down a route where we will see continuing imbalance in representation which favours the east coast. Seats have been lost in counties Donegal, Mayo, Cavan, Monaghan, Kerry and Tipperary which are in the western half of the country. This must be the worst constituency commission report which has ever been produced. Despite its population being at its highest level in decades, County Cavan is the biggest victim of the poposals before the House.

I agree with the sentiments expressed by colleagues from my constituency who spoke earlier about the break in the pattern of representation at public and community levels. It is disappointing. The report of the commission is unprecedented in many areas, including the fact that never before has the entirety of parts of four counties comprised one constituency.

See this speech in context