Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am not going on a tour of counties, but they have a significant influence on how we designed the electoral system and the composition of the Seanad. The organisation of local government has a direct input into the way in which 43 of the 60 Senators are elected. Up to now, there was a definite rural bias in favour of less populated areas because the value of a vote at local level had a variable of approximately 10 to one between Fingal at the high end and County Leitrim at the low end. Even within that system there was inequality in representation and, as a primarily urban county, Kildare did very poorly as a result.

I am not going to call a vote on the Bill, but we should see it for what it is. It will facilitate the smooth arrangement between the Dáil and the Seanad and ensure there will be a majority for the Government in order that it can have complete certainty in passing legislation. That is not good for democracy.

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