Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Second Stage debate on this Bill.

The Bill applies fundamentally to our democracy and how this Parliament and the European Parliament are established. The provisions of the Bill will affect the number of representatives we elect to Dáil Éireann and to the European Parliament. It is essential that the Bill is in place and that it reflects the existing demographic in the country. That is what it sets out to do, which is why Fine Gael generally agrees with this Bill.

We also support the idea of an independent constituency commission. In the past, politicians were directly involved in the drawing of boundaries, and it left the issue open to attack from those who would be cynical or otherwise. It is important we recognise the total independence of the commission in law. Fine Gael fully supports that. I take Senator Walsh's point that since politicians are directly engaged with their electorate daily, it might be a good idea to allow them to be directly involved with the commission. However, there are sufficient mechanisms within this Bill to allow politicians and political parties make submissions to the independent commission. I certainly hope that any submissions made by public elected representatives or their parties are fully taken into account by the commission.

The membership of the commission is set out quite clearly in the Bill. The commission is composed of esteemed members, and I do not think anybody could doubt their merit. It consists of a judge of the Supreme Court, the Ombudsman, the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Clerk of the Dáil and the Clerk of the Seanad. These are all esteemed people who are fully aware of the demands and the significance of a system that is so important to a democratic institution. We are quite happy with the constitution of that commission and the concept of independence that goes with it.

It has been set down that the number of Dáil Deputies will remain at 166, who will represent the 43 constituencies throughout the country. It is important our elected representation is reflective of the ratio in each constituency. We would not like to see larger urban areas that have grown massively in recent years, such as Dublin West, having a representation in the Dáil that is below the national average. It is incumbent on the Government to ensure our electoral system is constantly reviewed to reflect fairly and equitably the population numbers in those constituencies. For that reason alone, it is important to have a very accurate census. The last census was in 2006, and some claims were made that it was not very accurate, but I believe it was as accurate as possible. However, the census needs to be reviewed and updated constantly. If there are more efficient or more accurate ways of collecting census figures, we should always take on board those views because parliamentary representation is taken from those figures. It is vital we have an accurate census from the beginning.

I am from Waterford, but I am sympathetic to people in County Leitrim who feel in their own hearts that they are not represented in the national Parliament, because they do not have a constituency in their own right. How that circle is squared is up to the commission, and I hope that rather than just look at numbers, it looks at real ways where people can feel represented. The commission has been given terms of reference by the Minister on population ratios, but I believe there should be a term of reference that allows people from places like Leitrim to be represented, so that their views can be taken into account. All politics is local to some extent. If I were from Leitrim and I did not have a Leitrim person in the Parliament speaking on my behalf, I would feel I did not have the same access to representation as people from other constituencies. The Minister of State is very near that hinterland and has represented some of those people in the past, so I am sure he is very sympathetic to that view.

Waterford shed quite a bit of its population to the constituency of Tipperary South. The northern boundary of County Waterford, from the Clonmel suburbs down to places like Kilmanahan and Ballymacarbery and on towards places like Derrinlaur near Carrick-on-Suir is now in the Tipperary South constituency for general elections. However, local elections and local administration are under the auspices of Waterford County Council. From speaking to a few people in the area, they often feel that there is a conflict between local and national administration. They often feel that they are falling between two stools when they want their voices heard. I do not doubt that the public representatives strive to represent those people as well as representatives represent people in any other constituency. However, they feel at times that as they are from Waterford but in a Tipperary constituency, they are at a slight disadvantage.

County boundaries still mean much to people today. They were set up many years ago and I do not know the full history of them, but people are very loyal to their counties and they feel that an affinity to those counties should be further represented in Parliament. The independent commission needs to take this into account, and I am sure it does the best it can when it comes up with the figures. No system is perfect, but I hope that any redrawn constituency boundaries can keep as much as possible within the county and city boundaries. It is important that people feel represented in the areas with which they identify.

Article 16.2.4° of the Constitution is recognised in the Bill, and it provides that the Oireachtas shall revise the constituencies at least once in every 12 years. With the sharp rise in population in some areas, I believe that the constituencies should be revised more often than once in 12 years. The Bill provides that where population increases are fairly substantial, constituencies are reviewed to reflect proper representation in those areas. Where the initial census figures are produced, the commission can look at those figures at an earlier stage rather than being reactionary and waiting until the population is very large with small representation. It can look at an earlier stage at projections of population increases and make recommendations to the Minister on constituencies. People in those areas would be happier as their needs and demands would be taken into account by an independent body that would make recommendations to the Minister who ultimately has the power to make changes to their constituencies.

I have no strong views on the fact that there are 166 Members in the Dáil. Some people think we should have fewer TDs, but I am not so sure, especially in times of crisis when people are really turning to their public representatives so that their voices are heard in the national Parliament. The figure of 166 is adequate to service those needs, and it is important that people feel they have a voice that is close and accessible to them. The same thing applies to the European Parliament. The Constituency Commission has recommended that Ireland should have 12 MEPs. The Dublin European Parliament constituency will lose a seat. The Longford-Westmeath Dáil constituency, which Senator Cassidy used to represent, will be transferred from the Ireland East European Parliament constituency to the Ireland North-West European Parliament constituency. People from that area will be more familiar with its demographics. I am sure the Constituency Commission investigated such matters adequately.

It is important to have a correct, efficient and accurate register of electors. When Bills of this nature are being drafted, the Constituency Commission needs to rely on the census of population if it is to work properly. I am a member of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which is doing a great deal of work and making recommendations on how to improve this country's system of updating the electoral register. It is recommending that an independent electoral office be established and that dedicated staff be employed to keep the register of electors updated and accurate. It is considering the use of personal public service numbers to ensure there are no forgeries and no misinformation gets onto our register. Fundamentally, our democracy depends on such systems.

I welcome this Bill on behalf of Fine Gael. It uses this country's revised population figures to ensure that the people are represented adequately, which is ultimately and essentially what democracy is all about.