174 TDs and 43 constituencies: Electoral Commission report

An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland’s new independent election oversight body, recommended 174 TDs across 43 constituencies in its boundary review this week. This is an increase of 14 in comparison with the previous electoral boundaries. In its review, the commission said that it explored different scenarios with up to 181 TDs, but that it found a sweet-spot at 174.

This the first large increase in the size of Dáil Éireann since the 1980s, which the Electoral Commission has said meets Irish constitutional and statutory requirements. The constitution of Ireland requires that each TD represents between 20 and 30 thousand people. The figure in this electoral map sits at approximately 29,000.

Although there are several major changes to the new electoral map, the commission managed to reduce the overall number of county boundary breaches. The only major county boundary breach seen (apart from the Wexford and Wicklow amalgamation) is in Kilkenny, where the north-west portion of the county with a population of approximately 7,000 has been transferred from the Carlow-Kilkenny constituency to Tipperary North.

The Commission also spoke in great detail in its report on population variance per constituency, which sits at around a limit of eight percent. The Commission had concluded that a variance of five percent would be the preferred limit, but some constituencies exceeded this to avoid county boundary breaches where possible.

The constituencies with an increase in TDs are Cork North-Central (4 to 5); Cork South-Central (4 to 5); Dublin Mid West (4 to 5); Dublin Rathdown (3 to 4); Dublin West (4 to 5); Galway East (3 to 4);  Kildare North (4 to 5); Longford-Westmeath (4 to 5), Mayo (4 to 5); and Meath East (3 to 4).

There are also 7 new constituencies: Dublin Fingal West (3); Dublin Fingal East (3); Wicklow-Wexford (3); Laois (3); Offaly (3); Tipperary North (3); and Tipperary South (3). Most of these new constituency are directly replacing former five-seat constituencies.

The two constituencies which saw a fall in their number of TDs were Wexford (5 to 4) and Wicklow (5 to 4), which corresponded with the establishment of the new Wicklow-Wexford constituency.

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Mhol An Coimisiún Toghcháin, bord neamhspleách nua riarachán toghcháin na hÉireann, 174 TD thar 43 toghcheantar ina athbhreithniú teorann thoghcheantar an tseachtain seo. Is méadú é seo de 14 i gcomparáid leis na teorainneacha toghcháin roimhe seo. Ina athbhreithniú, dúirt an Coimisiún go ndearna siad iniúchadh ar chásanna éagsúla le suas le 181 TD, ach gur aimsigh siad scotspota ag 174.

Is é seo an chéad ardú mór ar mhéid Dháil Éireann ó na 1980í, a dúirt an Coimisiún Toghcháin a chomhlíonann riachtanais bhunreachtúla agus reachtúla na hÉireann. Éilíonn bunreacht na hÉireann go ndéanfaidh gach TD ionadaíocht ar idir 20 agus 30 míle duine. Suíonn an figiúr sa léarscáil toghcháin seo ag thart ar 29,000.

Cé go bhfuil roinnt athruithe móra déanta ar an léarscáil nua toghcháin, d’éirigh leis an gCoimisiún líon iomlán na sáruithe ar theorainneacha chontae a laghdú. Is é an t-aon sárú mór teorann contae a chonacthas (seachas cónascadh Loch Garman agus Chill Mhantáin) i gCill Chainnigh, áit a bhfuil an chuid thiar thuaidh den chontae le daonra de thart ar 7,000 aistrithe ó dháilcheantar Cheatharlach-Cill Chainnigh go Tiobraid Árann Thuaidh.

Labhair an Coimisiún go mion freisin ina thuarascáil ar éagsúlacht daonra in aghaidh an toghlaigh, a shuíonn thart ar ocht faoin gcéad. Bhain an Coimisiún de thátal as go mbeadh éagsúlacht cúig faoin gcéad mar an teorainn roghnaithe, ach sháraigh roinnt toghcheantar é seo chun sáruithe ar theorainneacha contae a sheachaint nuair ab fhéidir.

Is iad na toghcheantair a bhfuil méadú tagtha orthu Corcaigh Thuaidh-Lár (4 go 5); Corcaigh Theas-Lár (4 go 5); Baile Átha Cliath Thiar Láir (4 go 5); Baile Átha Cliath Ráth an Dúin (3 go 4); Baile Átha Cliath Thiar (4 go 5); Gaillimh Thoir (3 go 4); Chill Dara Thuaidh (4 go 5); An Longfort-An Iarmhí (4 go 5), Maigh Eo (4 go 5); agus An Mhí Thoir (3 go 4).

Tá 7 dtoghcheantar nua ann freisin: Baile Átha Cliath Fhine Gall Thiar (3); Baile Átha Cliath Fhine Gall Thoir (3); Cill Mhantáin-Loch Garman (3); Laois (3); Uíbh Fhailí (3); Tiobraid Árann Thuaidh (3); agus Tiobraid Árann Theas (3). Tá an chuid is mó de na dáilcheantair nua seo ag teacht go díreach in áit na dtoghcheantar cúig shuíochán a bhí ann roimhe seo.

Ba iad Loch Garman (5 go 4) agus Cill Mhantáin (5 go 4) an dá thoghcheantar inar tháinig laghdú ar líon na dTeachtaí Dála, rud a bhí ar aon dul le bunú an toghcheantair nua Chill Mhantáin-Loch Garman.