Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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283. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to initiate a new boundary commission for local election wards; the proposed terms of reference; if it will consider increasing or decreasing the total number of seats in each local authority; if it will consider reducing the geographic size of wards; if it will consider reducing the number of seats per ward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5961/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The most recent review of local electoral areas was carried out from November 2012 to May 2013 by a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee established under the Local Government Act 1991. The recommendations of that committee were implemented through 30 Statutory Instruments made in January 2014. Unlike the position for Dáil and European Parliament constituencies, there is no constitutional or legislative requirement for the revision of local electoral areas. However, there is a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to consider reducing the size of the local electoral areas. This is among the specific issues to be considered in the context of a report to be submitted to Government and the Oireachtas by mid-2017 on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability, and to ensure that local government structures and responsibilities strengthen local democracy.