Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and the opportunity to speak on it. It is important that there is debate. This is the first time that we are debating boundary redrawings under the new Electoral Commission. I called for this body to be set up some time ago. It is of great importance that we have an independent body set up to oversee all elections.

We must take great pride in the electoral and democratic process we have had for the past number of years and since the foundation of the State. We have probably one of the oldest democracies in Europe at this stage. The Electoral Commission was set up to look at and report on the census and decide on the constituencies. There are a number of issues upon which we should reflect. It is very difficult to get the balance right because one knows when the census will be in the electoral cycle but it is important that as soon as is possible or is practical after the census, that the commission reviews the Dáil and European Parliament constituencies, and other local electoral areas, and so forth, and makes decisions early in the cycle because it can be destabilising.

A number of issues have been constantly brought to the fore over the years. We have had many debates on boundary changes and on the continuity within each community, whether these are urban or rural, where there is a continuity and a certain area which identifies around a particular landmark, large town or centre. It is important that it is also fed into the Electoral Commission. It had a hugely challenging job to look at increasing the Dáil representation and in trying to ensure that it has given a fair and adequate response in each constituency, because constituencies have developed. The last major structural changes to the constituencies were probably way back in the 1980s, when my constituency come into being for the 1981 election. My constituency has been in existence for over 41 years and will remain in place into the next election.

Looking at constituencies and trying to make sure there is continuity, it is vitally important that as much information as is possible is at the disposal of the Electoral Commission. Many of the submissions that have been made have talked about county boundaries. Indeed, Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and I have discussed this on many occasions-----

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