The speed at which 82,000 people are transferred into Cork City Council’s jurisdiction through its boundary extension will depend on how quickly the Department of Local Government agrees to provide additional staff to the county council to handle the changeover.

The gentlemen from Royston Vasey are returning to the small screen, writes Georgia Humphreys.

The High Court has made directions for an urgent hearing of former Labour minister Joe Costello’s action aimed at securing the enactment of laws increasing the number of members of the Dáil before any general election.

An overwhelming majority of Cork’s 22 senators and TDs oppose the recommendations of the Mackinnon report to extend the city’s boundary.

A senior Fianna Fáil TD has warned Fine Gael its actions in Government are risking early general election as backroom party officials confirmed Fianna Fáil is preparing to select candidates in key election constituencies.

TDs and other elected representatives across the country have given a mix of recommendations and complaints to the boundary commission ahead of proposed constituency changes this year.

On foot of the last Boundary Commission, Cork North Central gained 11 electoral divisions and a population of 17,307 from Cork South Central. It also lost four electoral divisions with a population of 5,048 to Cork North West, and it remains a four-seat constituency.

The Smiddy report on the amalgamation of the two local authorities in Cork has recommended the ratio of councillors to constituents be altered, especially in West Cork where their number has been reduced but the area of representation significantly increased.

The first question one could reasonably ask upon glancing through the report recommending a merger of Cork City and County Councils is — Catherine Shanahan asks; will this actually ever happen?

Local Government Minister Phil Hogan will next week be urged to review a proposed cut to the number of county councillors representing West Cork.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan is to be urged to halt a number of changes to the new local election boundary areas because it is claimed they will disenfranchise many people living in Co Cork.

Fatal Path: British Government and Irish Revolution 1910-1922

A West Cork town fighting to save its local council from abolition under sweeping local government reforms has urged other towns in a similar position to unite.

Huzzah for the boys from Longford. Huzzah!

Taoiseach Enda Kenny described the current economic conditions of the country as “what is in reality a temporary, hand-me-down, financial straitjacket”.

First Minister Peter Robinson's DUP has today accused the North's Boundary Commission of gerrymandering in a fierce attack on its proposals to reduce the number of Westminster seats to 16.

The Electoral Amendment Bill, which will cut the number of TDs, is to be published today.

THE Scannal programme on the 1970 Arms Crisis on RTÉ television this week began with me proclaiming that the whole thing was the most serious crisis since the civil war. It has never been properly investigated but then no one should be surprised because the civil war was largely ignored, too.

Sweeping reforms to parliamentary constituencies in Britain will be introduced alongside moves to change the voting system, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced today.

WE are really in the midst of a revolution of sorts. All of the old certainties are being washed away. People are now questioning all the previously authoritative figures in society.

Minister for Environment John Gormley has said the changes to constituency boundaries announced yesterday will be implemented.

The Boundary Commission is expected to recommend a shake-up of Dáil constituencies in a report due out later today.

The SDLP could see its majorities in three Westminster constituencies cut under Boundary Commission recommendations proposed today.

Of course, the events of either of those earlier decades have little to do with the present, but it worth remembering that the only other head of government to enter 10 years of continuous service is Bertie Ahern. By contrast, his 10 years as Taoiseach have been spectacularly staid.

The High Court today dismissed a legal challenge to the constituency boundaries on which the general election was fought.

THE Cork East electoral constituency should have five Dáil representatives, or be split up, according to TDs who have seen the largest population rise of any constituency outside of Dublin.

The boundaries and names of the seven new local government districts in the North will be unveiled today.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern met jailed Ethiopian opposition leaders today in an effort to resolve a political crisis triggered by a disputed election.

THE biggest surprise about the continuing inability to form a government at Stormont was that anybody was surprised.

THE biggest surprise this week was that people were so surprised when the Belfast gathering to announce a breakthrough in the peace process turned into a fiasco.

DEPUTY Seán Haughey confirmed yesterday that he is strongly considering giving up his Dáil seat and running for the European Parliament in next year’s elections.

Irish MEP Rosemary "Dana" Scallon has criticised the Government's delay in appointing a Boundary Commission to redraw the borders of Irish voting constituencies.

THE Boundary Commission on changes to the European parliamentary constituencies is going to have a difficult job trying to draw boundaries that will make sense.

THE re-partition plan presented to Ted Heath in July 1972 attracted more attention than any of the other documents released this week.