Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter.I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan.

The census was due to be held this year but, of course, it has been postponed because of Covid-19. It is now due to be held on 3 April 2022. In April of this year, the Central Statistics Office estimated the population at 5.01 million. This means that the population has risen above 5 million for the first time since the 1851 census, when the comparable population was 5.11 million, or more than 6.6 million for the island as a whole. Some of the reasons for the increase in population are more Irish nationals returning to live here, with 7,300 more than those who left, and births exceeding deaths by some 22,800 in the year ending April 2021.

With population changes come the dreaded boundary revisions and reviews. This can exercise voters. When county boundaries are breached, in the case of Dáil elections, people feel disenfranchised as has happened previously in Leitrim, Carlow, Cavan and Tipperary and as is happening at present in Meath, Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon, Laois and another part of Tipperary.

It is speculated that on foot of population changes, a constituency boundary commission will established and that it may report in 2023 in advance of a possible general election in 2024 or 2025. Will the Minister of State advise on timelines for this, when a Dáil commission might be established and when it might report? What are his views regarding the breaches of county boundaries, which are particularly worrying and annoying for many constituents when small numbers of district electoral divisions, DEDs, are excluded from the county and put in with a larger county or set of counties?

Considering that the next local elections and European Parliament elections will take place in 2024, does the Minister of State feel that there will be insufficient time to hold a boundary review of council electoral areas in advance? Is it his view that there would be a boundary review in advance of the next local elections or would the timeline be too short for that? I am not urging one way or the other, but as the Minister of State is aware, politicians like to know what the boundaries would be. What is the view regarding the number of seats in the EU Parliament? Ireland currently holds 13 seats. Is this set in stone for the new elections to the Parliament in 2024?

For sitting politicians and would-be candidates for parties and for Independents, having advance or timely notice of these things is extremely important for their campaigns in the context of boundaries and configurations. Timely decisions are hugely beneficial to all in terms of preparation. I would appreciate a response on this issue, which perhaps might not exercise the general population a huge amount but which is extremely important for politicians in the context of their jobs and plans over the coming years.