Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Wilson knows, better than anybody, that when I make a solemn commitment to the people, I do my very best to honour it. I have done it in this House on many occasions with regard to political reform and local government reform. If there was no policy change regarding the number of people per Member in each Dáil constituency, the number of Deputies after the next general election would be 170. I put forward a range. The lowest number, without effecting constitutional change, was 153 and the range extended to 160. The commission independently decided on 158. It had the option of deciding on 153, if it had wished to do so. If it had proceeded on that basis, it would have been a net reduction of 17.