Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I share a birthday with Christy Moore on 7 May. I wish a happy birthday to both of those fine gentlemen.

Getting back to the substantive issue, we all know why there was a constituency boundary revision. It is important that everybody is represented fairly and equally. It should not just break down on numbers. When we are talking about democracy in action, whether local or national, we are talking about the sense of meitheal. We are talking about communities that work together. We are talking about the sense of pride of place where there is a strong identity with traditions, the town, the local football team and the county football team. The county boundary in all areas should be respected.

When I made a submission to the new boundary revision constituency committee I made that point very strongly and forcibly because in the last general election the people of Monasterevin, rural Athy and Kildangan could not use their vote in their county and had to use it in Laois. My wishes were respected in one respect and the people in those areas came back into Kildare South which is very welcome. However, people from Portarlington, Killenard, Ballybrittas, the Offaly part of Portarlington and parts of north Kildare are now in Kildare South. A total of 12 electoral districts are coming back into my constituency. The people of Portarlington, Killenard and Ballybrittas are very aggrieved and I completely understand that.

We talk about identity and people working together to attract industry and the necessary infrastructure. There will now be two county councils, Laois County Council and Offaly County Council, and two Dáil constituencies, Kildare South and Laois. Portarlington is the second biggest town in County Laois and it is being taken away from its county, which leads to a loss of morale. I have had a number of meetings with the good people of Portarlington and they all feel very aggrieved by this, which I completely understand.

County boundaries should be respected. Having said that, I want to make a commitment here and now to the people of that area. I know they will be losing the services of Deputy Cowen and Deputy Fleming but I commit to do everything in my power to represent them as best I can as I have done in the area of Kildare South for the past 20 months. I am delighted we are bringing back in the areas of Monasterevin, rural Athy and Kildangan and also the areas of Carbury and Clogharinka which were in Kildare North.

I hope we bear all that in mind for the local election boundaries. Communities, towns and villages that operate as units should be preserved. That should be considered alongside numbers.

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