Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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359. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to amend section 15 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 in view of the recent census data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38922/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I have no plans to amend section 15 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 in view of preliminary data from Census 2022.

Unlike the position for Dáil members, there is no constitutional or legislative requirement for the revision of the number of elected members of local authorities. Any such consideration of elected member numbers will be determined in the context of final Census results and any subsequent local electoral area reviews. While the publication of final Census results is a matter for the Central Statistics Office, results are anticipated for publication in Spring 2023.

The Electoral Reform Bill 2022, which is currently progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas, provides for, among other matters, the establishment of an Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission will be independent of Government, reporting directly to the Oireachtas. It will take on several existing statutory electoral functions from the outset, including responsibility for the work currently carried out by Local Electoral Area Boundary Committees.

Section 23 of the Local Government Act 2001 empowers the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to divide a local authority area into local electoral areas and to amend those areas. However, the Electoral Reform Bill requires, in advance of deciding to make an order under section 23 of the 2001 Act, that I request the Electoral Commission to make a report having regard to such matters as may be specified.

I have no plans to make an order under section 23 of the Local Government Act 2001 amending local electoral areas in advance of the next local elections due in 2024.