Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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671. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the right of United Kingdom citizens resident here to vote in European Parliament elections will be maintained in the miscellaneous provisions (withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 29 March) Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2624/19]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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It is intended to bring legislative proposals to Government shortly to amend the European Parliament Elections Act 1997 (as amended) in order to give effect to the recommendations in the Report on European Parliament Constituencies 2018 in connection with the configuration of our European Parliament constituencies and the number of members to be elected from each such constituency. This report was prepared by the European Parliament Constituency Committee following the adoption of European Council Decision (EU) 2018/937 of 28 June 2018 on the composition of the European Parliament. In the case of Ireland, the Council Decision provides for 13 members to be elected to the 2019-2024 European Parliament, an increase from the present 11 members. The legislative process will provide the vehicle for making such other amendments as may be necessary for the implementation of policy decisions taken and the holding of the European Parliament elections later this year. I expect the Bill to be published in the coming weeks.