Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

There is an argument for changing from multi-seat to single seat constituencies, as Senator Bradford said last week. There have been unsuccessful referenda on this subject. My first political campaign was for this change in the late 1960s. I have observed multi-seat constituencies since and see that there is a need for close scrutiny of, and constructive debate on, single seat constituencies. Those of us involved in politics are slow to move from a system in which we found success to a new one.

There are tremendous demands on politicians. I live in a five-seat constituency where many events place demands on the politicians which is not the most productive use of their time. This probably also has an impact on the quality of service. In some instances people concentrate on the immediate area that is the source of their core vote. There are four main urban areas in Wexford which fall into the four electoral divisions for local government and consequently there is a local base of support for candidates in a general election. There is an argument for considering a single-seat transferable vote system which would encourage a more focused approach from the Member and give him or her a closer identification with the area. This might be also more efficient.

This Bill originated after the 1977 general election when a reconfiguration of the constituencies by the then Minister for Local Government, Jim Tully, backfired spectacularly. Jack Lynch, I think, undertook to set up an independent commission to examine the constituencies. There are no politicians, current or past on these commissions. It seems odd to exclude people who may have spent their lives in that career from commissions whether examining boundaries or issues concerning the electoral process.

Like Senators Coffey and Cassidy, and others, I have complained about the exclusion of councillors from many national bodies. Officials are less enthusiastic, however, about excluding themselves. These commissions are dominated by officials who have no direct experience of politics. I would prefer a system which involved people from all parties considering electoral issues with certain criteria, such as respecting county boundaries.

I am amazed at local election time to see urban areas excluded from town council elections. Many people are aggrieved at this because they depend on their local town councillors to service the area in which they live but cannot choose those representatives.

The local government and European Parliament elections are on our doorstep. Apart from boundary issues there is a reference in the Bill to curtailing expenditure, which is right. In general elections large sums of money can be spent from six months before the election to the date on which it is called. There should be a longer time limit on expenditure while allowing people time to get their messages across to the electorate. That requires striking a fine balance.

Democracy will come under pressure in Western countries because of their economic situations and it behoves those of us involved to ensure our actions are measured and fit for their purpose.