Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

A number of referendums are planned for a single day in November, which I support. Should we have an additional two referendums on that day? The first is on the rapidly rising population in Ireland. There is a constitutional requirement for a Deputy for every 20,000 to 30,000 people. In 20 years' time, if the projections are correct, we could have 200 Deputies in this Chamber which is unsustainable. November is an opportunity for us to get ahead of that trend.

Second, there is a constitutional cap of 15 senior Cabinet Ministers. That has meant that some Ministers have a wide variety of portfolios, which are unrelated. The Minster, Deputy Catherine Martin, is a classic example of this. Should November be an opportunity to increase slightly the number of Cabinet Ministers to improve governance?

In combination, both these proposals would drastically reduce costs to the taxpayer. I would be grateful for the Taoiseach's thoughts on that.

See this speech in context