David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan, to the House. He might be surprised at the motion I have tabled today, which relates to County Cork rather than my own county of Waterford. I have received several petitions from people in the area about the recent report of the local electoral area boundary committee, which outlines the proposed new electoral areas for city and county councils. The publication of the report is welcome in that it provides certainty for local government candidates in advance of next year's elections in terms of their respective wards. It was never realistic, however, that a perfect solution would be found for all areas. Despite the greater flexibility that arises from having a range of six- to ten-seat local electoral areas, LEAs, there are several areas throughout the State in which the boundaries are poorly mapped. Some of these wards are oversized and bear no reality to the communities with which people identify.

Of particular concern are the proposals to divide certain towns. In this regard, the decision to divide Carrigaline in County Cork along the line of the Owenabue river, which runs directly through it, seems utterly senseless. Local residents have contacted me by telephone and e-mail asking me to urge the Minister to reconsider what they see as a very poorly thought-out decision. The population of the town has increased exponentially in recent years. As recently as 1971 there were fewer than 1,000 residents, but that number had increased to 6,482 by 1991. There was even greater population growth in the Celtic tiger area, from 11,282 to 14,775 in just five years. Like any town that has experienced rapid growth, Carrigaline is facing considerable challenges. It has an exceptionally high number of commuters, with the highest rate of commuting by car, at a massive 74%, of any town in Ireland. The old town has been replaced by a major commuter town as large as any of Cork's major suburbs. I am sure the Minister will agree that a town of this size requires a co-ordinated and sensible approach to planning matters which will ensure the considerable challenges it faces are met. There must be an adequate road network, for example, an adequate public transport infrastructure and efficient management of traffic flows. There must be co-ordinated efforts to attract businesses, investment in retail and so on. In that context, having some 16 councillors from across two separate LEAs making decisions for the town is not prudent. Decisions will invariably lack the necessary focus, and confusion will arise in a situation in which neighbours living only a few hundred metres apart are obliged to make representations to different councillors.

The revisions to the LEAs that impact on Carrigaline also affect the nearby town of Ballincollig, which has been moved back and forth between different general election constituencies and local electoral areas for years. Once again, that town will be separated from its hinterland in the local elections in 2014. These decisions are not helpful in the context of the sustainable planning of towns. There may be contrary views in the area but I have not heard them. I look forward to the Minister's response to the concerns that have been expressed to me by residents.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for the opportunity to clarify issues regarding the recent report of the 2013 local electoral area boundary committee. The committee was established by me in November 2012 and produced its report on 30 May 2013. In publishing the report, I announced my intention to accept in full the recommendations therein and to make in due course the necessary local electoral area orders to give them effect. The local electoral areas specified in these orders, and the number of members to be elected for each area, will apply at the 2014 local elections.

The completion of the report was an important step in the Government's programme of local government reform. The review had a specific goal of improving balance and consistency in representational ratios in local government, while taking particular account of factors such as the location of towns in the new municipal governance arrangements provided for in the action programme for effective local government. The terms of reference provided for minimum levels of representation in lower-population counties and cities. Arising from the recommendations in the report, a total of 949 councillors will be elected at the 2014 elections, in 137 local electoral areas, to 31 local authorities.

Much of the commentary on the report has focused on the reduction in the number of council seats from 1,627 to 949 and the number of local authorities from 114 to 31. However, beyond these reductions is the development of a far more integrated approach between county and municipal government which will better serve the needs of all citizens. This radical structural reform will provide a sound platform for the wider development and strengthening of the local government system in the future. The current number of councillors in local authorities was set in the distant past. There have been huge changes in population in recent decades, as the Senator observed, which have resulted in great disparities in the ratios of councillors to population between different counties and indeed within counties. Whereas previous local electoral area reviews left the total number of members in each local authority unchanged, this review involves a fundamental reform of the system to take account of population changes and representational disparities.

The recommendations in the report stand as they are. I have accepted them in full, for Cork and for every other local authority area. As I said some months ago when we were debating the new arrangements for Dáil constituencies, there are swings and roundabouts in constituency reviews. In nearly every situation there are multiple options and a range of solutions. However, every change or move has a knock-on effect, with consequences for other parts of the country. The committee, in chapter 3 of its report, makes particular reference to issues arising with regard to the representational ratios in County Cork and recommends, in a later chapter, that eight local electoral areas be formed within the existing divisional boundaries that have operated for administrative purposes in the county.

Senator Cullinane has drawn our attention to local electoral areas in the southern division, where the committee is recommending a number of revisions. The committee explains that these recommendations provide a balance between recognising existing administrative arrangements and facilitating the creation of new local electoral areas which acknowledge the community identities of newer large urban and suburban areas.