Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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365. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to review the boundaries of the 3,440 electoral divisions in the State in advance of the 2022 census (details supplied). [1779/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Electoral divisions are the smallest legally defined administrative areas for which population statistics are published. These divisions were established in the nineteenth century and are largely unchanged since. The Local Government Act provides that the Minister may, by regulations, divide the area of any county into areas to be known as electoral divisions, vary the names of such divisions and adjust their boundaries. However, there are no plans at present to review electoral divisions’ boundaries but the matter will be kept under review.

The Central Statistics Office reviews settlement boundaries after each Census. I understand that, in light of the delay to Census 2021, the process of reviewing settlement boundaries is currently underway with input from my Department and other stakeholders.