Changing times as constituencies face revamp

MORE than half of the country’s 43 constituencies will undergo extensive changes in electoral registers and county boundaries under the raft of recommendations by the Constituency Commission.

Aside from the constituencies which will see their seats either decrease or increase, 20 constituencies will be revised in geographical make-up.

Despite years of protest by members of the public in Leitrim, the county is to remain split between Sligo-North Leitrim and Roscommon-South Leitrim.

The largest number of submissions received by the commission on one issue related to including all of Co Leitrim as one constituency. The county is currently without representation in the Dáil.

Even though the population of Cavan-Monaghan is low for a five-seater, it has retained its five seats as it merits 4.7 seats according to analysis of the census. As neither county has sufficient population to form a constituency on its own, the only alternative was to transfer some of the population to or from an adjoining constituency, thereby breaching the county boundary. This was, however, rejected by the commission and the constituency is to remain unchanged.

In Kildare, where the population has increased by almost 14% since 2002, the areas of Newtown and Kilpatrick are to be transferred from Kildare South to Kildare North in order to provide improved balance. A total of 1,314 new voters will vote in Kildare North at the next election.

Likewise, 4,276 people in Laois-Offaly will be moved to Tipperary North due to the constituency’s rising population.

However, the report adds that if population trends continue, the case for an increase in the Dáil representation in the Laois-Offaly area “may arise for consideration in the future”.

In Donegal, where the current constituency formation has been in place since 1980, four areas in Donegal North East are to be moved to Donegal South West.

Eleven five-seat constituencies, an increase of one, are proposed under the review, while two more four-seaters are to be created to bring the total to 15.