Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 16: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he will take to address the problem which has arisen in the village of Sandymount, Dublin 4 due to the boundary commission on local government ignoring the terms of reference laid down by him in January 2008 which required the commission to take into account the natural integrity of existing communities. [36573/08]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 222: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will refrain from changing the local electoral boundaries in Dublin south east until he has considered the views of residents of the Sandymount area; if he will examine the letters and petitions of local residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36857/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 222 together.

On 16 June 2008, I received the reports of the two independent Boundary Committees I established in January 2008 to review local electoral areas. In carrying out their work, the Committees undertook public consultation which involved inviting submissions by way of notices in national and local newspapers; a dedicated website; and writing to members of the Dáil and Seanad, local authorities and the local authority associations. Submissions received by the committees can be viewed at www.electoralareacommittees.ie.

When publishing the reports on 17 June 2008, I announced that, consistent with long established practice in respect of constituency formation at European, national and local levels in Ireland, I was accepting the recommendations contained in them. It is my view that to review or seek to amend the recommendations of the committees at this stage would undermine the independent and apolitical nature of the process. I will be making the necessary orders to give effect to the recommendations in the reports as soon as possible.