Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 11: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if in view of the recent Census of Population he will set up an Electoral Boundary Commission to review Dáil Constituencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13437/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Electoral Act 1997 provides that a Constituency Commission shall be established upon the publication by the Central Statistics Office, following each census of population, of the report which contains the final population figures classified by area. The appropriate detailed population statistics that are necessary to conduct a review of existing constituencies are contained in Volume 1 of the census publications which classifies the population by area.

I intend to establish such a Commission to review and report on Dáil and European constituencies as soon as possible after the relevant report is published by the CSO. Under the Act, the Commission is required to report to the Ceann Comhairle as soon as may be and, in any event, within 6 months of its establishment; the reports will then be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.