Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to begin by acknowledging the good work of the Electoral Commission. I am delighted to speak on the Bill.

Along with other Members, I also support the reduction of the voting age to 16. It is a progressive, inclusive and absolutely necessary step that could have been taken long before now. Nonetheless, it is a positive move that I welcome.

I welcome that my constituency of Clare did not have its boundaries breached in the constituency review. With the exception of those that have passed on or who Government policy may have driven to the likes of Canada or Australia, I will have all of the constituents at the next election that I have as I stand here today. I am wholeheartedly proud to represent the 127,938 people of Clare. I would wager that since the recent census the population has risen to above 128,000.

Clare's population has grown by just under 10,000 people, or 8%, which is in line with the national average. We have also welcomed thousands of residents to the county as beneficiaries of temporary protection and as international protection applicants. I am not saying I support the Electoral Commission’s proposal of 14 additional Deputies, but in the context of other counties receiving additional Deputies, I wish to focus on the fact that Clare has the highest variance of the long-accepted principle that there should be one Deputy for every 30,000 constituents, as provided for in Article 16 of the Constitution. We have a variance of over 8%, and I wish to take the opportunity to acknowledge that elephant in the room.

Let us consider the variance rates in a number of other constituencies. For example, the variance is almost the opposite in the Taoiseach’s constituency, which means it only has to account for 27,472 people. This is a variance of -7.17%. In the Tánaiste’s case, there is a variance of 3.7%. In the Minister of State’s case, his constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny is just below Clare with a variance of 7.9%. Bearing this in mind, it is difficult to see how the electoral reform has been equitable. Something I hear from my constituents a great deal is that things never seem to make it as far west as County Clare, and they do not feel Government policy is devised and administered in an equitable way where they are concerned.

This is concerning in the great scheme of things, especially when trying to attract a more progressive and sustainable pipeline of Independent Deputies. I am a non-aligned Deputy. That may seem unique in this Dáil term, but it may not be unique in future. Indeed, it may become a trend as the years pass. I have the smallest team in the House, though, and we are working under the highest variance in the country. This needs to be borne in mind, so while I commend the spirit of the Electoral Commission’s work, we will agree to disagree on whether my constituency should have received an additional seat and be made a five-seater. When discussing the sustainability of non-aligned progressives, it will be more difficult in constituencies like Clare for new Independents to win seats, as they will now need a higher percentage of the vote. Making Clare a five-seater would have resulted in a candidate needing to win 17% plus one of the overall vote, but since it will remain a four-seater, a new Independent candidate will have to win 20% plus one of the vote. For the 21% of the Clare population with a disability, for the nearly 9,000 carers in the county or for the parts of the constituency like Shannon and Kilrush that were deemed above average in terms of deprivation in Pobal’s recent indexation, how my constituents will be represented in the future is a major concern for them. We need to see more progressive politicians in the country, not fewer. We need more Independents to hold Government and Opposition policies to account. We need more diverse candidates and we need to make it easier for them to represent communities across Ireland, not harder.

I respect the independence of the process and the long-standing and vital tradition that the House not interfere with it, but I hope that some of the points I have raised about variance and future representation will be given consideration.

I will take this opportunity to thank the good people of Clare for their continued support, which I look forward to seeking next year.

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