Constituencies will not be redrawn before election

The Government will not review current constituency boundaries before next year’s general election, it emerged today.

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche made the announcement as he unveiled a three months nationwide campaign costing €6m to update the Electoral Register.

Preliminary figures from April census found that some constituencies had either too many or too few voters in relation to the number of sitting TDs.

Mr Roche said that the Government had decided to wait until final figures are available from the Central Statistics Office in February or March.

Under the Electoral Act 1997, a constituency commission must be established and must report to the Ceann Comhairle within six months.

Mr Roche said he was satisfied that the Electoral Register would be as accurate as is practicable when voters go to the polls in the general election.

He said: “I am confident. I am operating precisely as prescribed by the Constitution and the relevant legislation.

“I am fully discharging my statutory duty in this regard.”

The minister dismissed opposition criticism that any redrawing of constituency boundaries before the general election would result in seat losses for Fianna Fail in rural areas and the greater Dublin region.

Mr Roche said the Government had reached its decision at today’s Cabinet meeting after considering the advice of the Attorney General.

The Electoral Register advertising campaign runs until November 25 and covers national and local TV and radio, press and outdoor billboards.

An intensive awareness campaign will also be carried out on a door to door basis by local authorities to compile the updated Register for 2007/2008.

Mr Roche would not be drawn on whether there may be legal challenges to today’s Government decision.

He added: “At the heart of democracy is the right to vote and at the heart of that is an accurate and up to date Electoral Register.

“The Register is very inaccurate at the moment and there’s no point in saying anything otherwise.

“There are many people who should be registered and are not, and many people who are currently registered but should not be because they have died."