Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 548: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the committee which is reviewing local election boundaries in Limerick City and County will report; when he will make the report public; if the committee have discretion to recommend either an increase or reduction in the number of seats in either or both local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35392/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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In October 2007 I established a Boundary Committee to prepare a report, under Part V of the Local Government Act 1991, in relation to the administrative boundary of Limerick City Council. The Boundary Committee has had regard to the recommended alteration to Limerick City Council's boundary made by Mr John Fitzgerald in his April 2007 report to the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion, i.e. a limited extension of Limerick City Council's boundary up to the Clare County boundary in the northern part of the city. The Committee has recently made its report, which is currently being examined in my Department and which will be published in due course.

In relation to a review of local electoral areas the position is that, unlike for Dáil and European Parliament constituencies, there are no legal requirements regarding the frequency of such reviews. The last review of local electoral areas was carried out in 1998; the next local elections are due to take place in 2009. I am at present considering the issues around a review of local electoral areas and I expect to be in a position to make a statement on the matter shortly.