Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Minister of the State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to the House. The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Bill 2012 was introduced on foot on the publication of the Constituency Commission report in 2010 and is part of the Government's programme of political reform. The Bill proposes, for the first time since 1980, a reduction in the numbers of Members of Dáil Éireann. Several commentators have argued that it will have little impact. However, I believe the reduction will have a greater impact along the western seaboard than in the greater Dublin area because of the country's population imbalance.

I am pleased the Government is playing its part in a radical reform agenda. The provision for a reduced number of Deputies delivers on the Government's commitment to lead by example and lead from the top. Real and tangible reform is being achieved which will make the political system leaner and more efficient for citizens. This reform follows up on other Dáil reforms such as the reduction in the pay and pensions of Members, the removal of increments, the reduction of expenses and longer working hours, as well as shorter holidays. These appropriate reforms were needed and no one would think otherwise as we cannot ask others to do what we are not prepared to do ourselves. I refer to these reforms because they seem to have been forgotten about entirely by the media and the general public.

The Minister is also implementing reform of local government in this legislation. Given that the country continues to run a current deficit of ¤1 billion per month, it is incumbent on us to reduce our cost base in every sector, including in this House. While most of us would not like to see it abolished, there is room for reform.

Reducing the number of Deputies was a commitment in the programme for Government with the objective of reducing the cost and size of government. Savings of approximately ¤2.2 million are forecast as a result of this reduction. It is also estimated that ¤420 million, a significant amount, will be saved through the Putting People First proposals recently launched by the Minister.

The legislative framework for the next general election will be different from that of previous elections due to the proposed reduction in the number of Deputies and the requirements of the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 that parties must ensure that 30% of their candidates are women if they are to receive State funding. With the reduced number of Deputies, there may in fact be fewer women Members in the next Dáil. This positive discrimination, however, can only be viewed as healthy progress for democracy in terms of increasing the level of female participation in national politics over time and reflecting the fact that 50% of the population is female. I would like to see gender quotas implemented at local level too as most individuals who put themselves forward for electoral politics start their journey at local authority level.

The comprehensive local government reform plans, published by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government last autumn, will see a reduction 700 councillors nationally. The Government's intention to introduce reforms can clearly be seen in this reduction in representation. The Minister is the first in many years who has been brave enough to reduce the number of the country's politicians. As well as reducing the number of Deputies by eight, this Bill reduces the number of constituencies to 40. There will be 11 five-seat constituencies, 13 three-seat constituencies and 16 four-seat constituencies. While 11 constituencies remain unchanged, major changes will be made to constituencies in Cork, Dublin, Waterford, the Kerry-Limerick area, the Donegal-Sligo-Leitrim-Cavan-Monaghan area and the Galway-Mayo-Roscommon area. This is causing some unease in my home town of Ballinasloe, which now finds itself in Roscommon-Galway.

The representative role of Deputies will be altered because each candidate at the next election will be required to gain a larger share of the vote to win a seat than heretofore given the reduction in the number of Deputies. If the Bill is enacted, there will be fewer Deputies from which to form future Governments because, as we know, apart from the possibility of appointing two Ministers from the Seanad, if it is still in place, all Ministers must be Members of Dáil Éireann. There will be fewer Deputies to undertake Oireachtas work. This will mean those on committees will be required to put in more effort and focus more on their role in this regard. We know that many Deputies spend a good deal of their time ensuring they work for their constituencies and, possibly, are not making as much of an impact at national level as they would wish.

An electoral system is needed with a better chance of producing Deputies who can put the broad public national interest before the local interest. No matter how loud individuals or groups shout and no matter how worthy their cause for local politics, they should not dictate what happens in national politics. Society, as well as the economy and the political landscape, has changed. It is increasingly recognised in all areas of life that the old ways are not working and that it is time to change them. It is time to grasp the nettle of electoral change. While it may be outside the scope of the Bill, with a constitutional convention and a referendum planned on the future of the Seanad, we should seek a wider debate on a complete overhaul of the electoral system.

According to the terms of reference of the constituency commission, breaching county boundaries was to be avoided as far as was practicable. This does not apply in the case of local government boundaries in Dublin, although the commission recommended adhering to these where feasible and practical. Where two counties are in a single constituency, it is not considered to be a breach of the boundary between them, for example, the constituency of Sligo-Leitrim North. Some ten county boundaries are breached by the proposed revision of constituencies. Politicians and political scientists have recognised the problems breaching county boundaries can cause for voters, including electoral alienation and low turnout. The revision of constituencies will impact on individual politicians and political parties, as well as voters, as they familiarise themselves with the new arrangements. However, over time the electorate and politicians will, I hope, become accustomed to the change and it will be less of an issue.

Media coverage of the constituency commission's report has thus far focused on the potential impact on incumbent Deputies and the political parties, rather than examining the benefits for our democracy and the electoral process in the medium to longer term. The reduction in the total number of seats in the Dáil means there will be fewer opportunities for women to win seats. However, larger constituencies are considered better for the election of female candidates and the Bill proposes the smallest number of three seat constituencies in the history of the State since 13 three seat constituencies have been proposed.