Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputies Paul Connaughton and Anthony Lawlor.

I am glad to have an opportunity to contribute to the debate. As practitioners of politics, we are most interested in many ways in the dynamics of constituencies, the number of seats and so on. I represent Galway West and there was a great deal of concern that the constituency could change dramatically, especially given Oranmore to the east of Galway has become a large suburb of the city and it has been integrated into the economic corridor between Claregalway and the city. I am glad this area, which was considered to be under threat of transfer to Galway East, has remained as part of the city constituency because it is an important contiguous area, which shares a strong dynamic with the eastern side of the city.

Galway West has been a five-seat constituency for a number of years. It has always returned a diverse representation of political parties, with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Labour Party seats and a Progressive Democrats seat, which was unusual for the west. That diversity will continue as it remains a five-seater. It is a large constituency and I was surprised that part of south Mayo was transferred in. Nobody was expecting that, as it seemed more appropriate to transfer the Headford area in Galway East into the constituency but the Constituency Commission in its wisdom decided otherwise. I am glad I will be taking over from the careful hands of the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, who looked after this part of Mayo well. I know the area well because I have spent a great deal of time in Ballinrobe, Shrule and on the lake near Cong. The people of south Mayo were particularly surprised by the change but I will do try to represent them as best I can. I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív that an amendment to the title of the constituency to include Mayo would be appropriate. The Minister must recognise that this is a significant area with a significant population and they deserve to he recognised as being in the constituency, if only to focus the minds of those who will represent them in the future that this is an important area.

This is one element of political reform. While reducing the number of Members from 166 to 158 may be seen as a significant reform, I do not see it as an end in itself. We must examine many other issues. A number of previous speakers referred to the importance of Deputies being in touch with their communities and the important relationship between Deputies and their constituencies, particularly in rural areas but let us never forget that the best turnout achieved in an election is approximately 70%. This means approximately 30% of the population does not vote and we are falling down in this regard. We are not engaging with those people because they feel the electoral system does not matter to them, is not relevant to them or fails to deliver for them.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a colleague who lives in Australia, which has adopted compulsory voting. It is considered a controversial topic. However, this measure means that everybody has a stake in the electoral system and must think about it. In other words, being a citizen not only vests rights in a person, it also carries responsibilities, one of which is to participate in the electoral system. By doing so, people have a stake and there is a consequence to their vote. The thought process even of being involved makes them consider where they are in life and where the country is. If we are to embrace electoral reform, our thinking must extend much further than costs and numbers to considering participation and getting citizens involved. Much of what has happened in our country, which is the reason there is such demand for reform, is people became detached from politics. They were in tune with the economy rather than the system of governance and where we were going as a country, whether the model in place was correct and whether it was serving them. There was no link between the phenomenon of sky-rocketing property prices and the inability of people to buy a home and the fact that the political system and the Government were responsible for that.

The legislation is one step on the road but I am not sure whether it is a particularly good step. It will happen but the discussion on politics, the electoral system and engaging citizens needs to go much further.

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