Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Like Senator MacSharry, I am deeply concerned about the situation in Leitrim, to which I will refer later. I would like first to discuss the issue of Kerry. The speculation prior to emergence of the report was that Kerry would be a five-seater constituency, a reduction in the current number given that Kerry North and Kerry South both have three Deputies. I am sure members of the commission see Kerry only on their holidays. To ask a person to represent a county that stretches all the way from Lauragh up to Tarbert, a journey that would take two hours to complete by road, is impractical in the extreme. The bean counters were not doing Kerry a favour when they decided to retain the three seats — the figures must have simply added up. They were no doubt looking at maps and putting pins on them. This proposal does not reflect the reality of trying to represent such a vast constituency. The electoral commission has already done a disservice to counties such as Mayo, which has a huge sprawling constituency stretching from Claremorris all the way to Bellmullet. As the Cathaoirleach would know, that journey to Bellmullet is a long one when canvassing for a Seanad election. Bellmullet is a lovely place on a fine summer's day but it is not ideal in the depths of winter.

The Constituency Commission did not decide to do likewise in terms of Kerry. It joined north Kerry in with west Limerick. Having lived in Limerick for some time, next to a former Minister for Justice, Gerry Collins, I am glad we have got a little of Limerick in the constituency, and Limerick might benefit from our football. Unfortunately, however, for the people of west Limerick who were used to the services of the Collinses, Deputy Cregan and others, they are now being represented on the county council by their councillors and in the Oireachtas by Deputy McEllistrim among others. When the commission writes another report, which we will be asked to rubber-stamp, there is nothing to say Kerry will not end up in the same situation as Mayo.

Although it is far removed from my own county geographically, the situation in regard to County Leitrim is disturbing for us all. While Senator Ellis does an excellent job representing the people of Leitrim in the Oireachtas, it is vital for any county to have its own Dáil representative. It is my view that the commission breached its terms of reference in this regard and, in so doing, has done a great disservice to public representation. In reaching its recommendation, the commission ignored the petition signed by 14,000 Leitrim people. Of the 327 submissions received by the commission, 241 were from residents of that county. Why did the commission bother to seek submissions if it intended simply to ignore them? It seems it was concerned merely with looking at the numbers. If this situation is not rectified, one or more Leitrim voters may ultimately take constitutional action. Leitrim people are well represented in Dublin city in various guises. The current situation cannot continue in the long run.

It is clearly unacceptable that the Leader could not vote for himself in the last election. County boundaries are extremely significant in Gaelic football and other sports. People have an affinity with their county and feel great loyalty towards it. When it is divided for administrative purposes, as the commission has done in several instances, this sense of connection is lost. The situations of Kerry North and Limerick West and of Offaly and North Tipperary, which is of interest to the Cathaoirleach, are similarly unsatisfactory. Recommendations are being made by bean counters. As public representatives, we will be accused of gerrymandering if we are seen to interfere with their decisions. In the case of Leitrim, however, public representatives must intervene.

We have a long history of boundary commissions, the most famous being the one which gave its verdict in 1926 and which came up with results that did not suit us. We were given many promises in the negotiations that led to the treaty establishing the Free State by learned men such as Winston Churchill and Lloyd George. They did not live up to their words, as they often failed to do. Their words were not worth the paper on which they were written.

I am glad Kerry has not been as badly affected as Mayo, for example. I ask the Leader to intervene on behalf of the people of County Leitrim.