Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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462. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the procedures that are in place if a boundary commission does not fulfil its remit as outlined in its terms of reference as set down by him; if he has the power to ask the commission to redo boundaries to comply with the terms of reference; the steps a private citizen can take to set aside a decision of a boundary committee that has been made outside its terms of reference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25182/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I established a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee on 15 November 2012, in accordance with sections 28, 32 and 33 of the Local Government Act 1991, to review and make recommendations on the division of each council area, other than Cork City, into local electoral areas, and to make recommendations on the number of members of each council to be assigned to each local electoral area. The Committee was requested to submit its report as soon as possible and, in any event, not later than 31 May 2013.

The committee was established to make recommendations and therefore the question of a private citizen setting aside a decision of the committee does not arise. In accordance with Section 32(2) of the Local Government Act 1991, as amended, I will publish the report of the committee and I will have regard to it when making orders dividing counties and cities into local electoral areas and fixing the number of members to be elected for each electoral area. This will be done in good time for the 2014 local elections. As I said last year, the establishment of the committee is an important step in implementing the Action Programme for Effective Local Government and in reforming local government structures.