Sir, – The Electoral Commission has recommended the need for more TDs based on population growth and as stipulated in the 1937 Constitution.
However, we have come a long way in methods of communication since 1937. Few issues fail to air immediately on all forms of news and social media. TDs are quick to respond nationally and locally. I believe we have more than adequate representation at present. Perhaps a referendum should used to enlarge the numbers of population per TD to 100,000 rather than 30,000 to 50,000 currently. – Yours, etc,
ROGER FLACK,
Currabinny,
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Co Cork.
Sir, – As entirely expected, the report of An Coimisiún Toghcháin is stirring a lot of debate, much based on local constituency issues such as voters in north Kilkenny having to vote in the new constituency of Tipperary North or the strange case of the new Wicklow-Wexford (a three-seater) not having a “standing TD” currently in its district.
Most informative, however, was to note the commission’s chairperson, Ms Justice Marie Baker, outline the challenges her commission encountered as a consequence of our Constitution – drawn up at a time when our population was much smaller than now – and statutory restrictions. Among the issues she cited is that six-seat constituencies are not allowed, which if permitted would allow the commission a greater degree of flexibility in trying to limit the number of county boundary infringements.
Addressing the constitutional and statutory constraints with regard to our “election processes” is an imperative that requires to be tackled and sorted before the next constituency review by An Coimisiún Toghcháin. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
Kilkenny.
Sir, – The Electoral Commission missed an opportunity to future-proof its proposed constituency changes. As Ireland’s population continues to grow, in five years the Electoral Commission will have to add more TDs and change constituency boundaries again. While it performed a Herculean task to minimise crossing county boundaries, that may not be so easy next time.
The question of linking the number of TDs with the population will not go away until it is addressed. Our population continues to grow and we can’t keep adding another few TDs every five years. When are we going to shout stop: at 180, 200, or 250?
It is time to have a referendum to fix the number of TDs. But to what number?
The uninformed argument is to compare Ireland with the UK. But why when there is a vast disparity in population?
It is more informative to compare Ireland with similarly sized countries.
Like Finland with 200 MPs, or Denmark with 179 MPs, Norway with 169 MPs, Croatia with 151 MPs, Slovakia with 150 MPs, and New Zealand with only 120 MPs.
There is another thing which is common among these countries: they have no senate!
Let the referendum campaign begin. – Yours, etc,
JASON FITZHARRIS,
Swords,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Now that An Coimisiún Toghcháin has completed one of the biggest projects it will work on in its first few years – the revision of Dáil constituencies – its next significant piece of work must be organising a reformed Seanad electoral system.
At a minimum, there will soon have to be hundreds of thousands more voters added to the pool for six Seanad seats – previously reserved for just graduates of Trinity College Dublin and the National University of Ireland constituent colleges.
This change alone must not be left to the already stretched colleges across the country to organise, and so it only makes sense that An Coimisiún Toghcháin take up the work of reviewing and updating the electoral registers for the six institutions of higher education Seanad seats.
On a realistic and practical level however, the electorate for Seanad elections will have to be expanded to all those currently eligible to vote in Dáil elections.
An Coimisiún Toghcháin has been given the work of organising and overseeing Dáil elections, local authority elections, European Parliament elections, and referendums. It would be ridiculous to argue the commission shouldn’t hold responsibility for Seanad elections too.
The first step for the Oireachtas will be to pass Seanad electoral reform legislation – ideally in the form of the Seanad Bill 2020 – before the end of this year, to ensure An Coimisiún Toghcháin has sufficient time to plan its work and ensure appropriate structures are in place to properly facilitate Seanad elections well ahead of any dissolution of the current Dáil.
The stark alternative for the Oireachtas is risking a significant constitutional crisis that will not be easily solved should it come to pass. – Yours, etc,
TOMÁS HENEGHAN,
East Wall,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – We have too many Dáil representatives already. Rather than increase the number of TDs, let us amend our Constitution. – Yours, etc,
ROBBIE ROBINSON,
Ashbourne,
Co Meath.
Sir, – One of the more bizarre recommendations of the Electoral Commission is to divide the village of Cabinteely along the line of Johnstown Road and Brennanstown Road. The result is that Cabinteely church will now be in the Dublin Rathdown constituency, while Cabinteely Garda station on the diametrically opposite corner of Cabinteely crossroads will be in the Dún Laoghaire constituency. It is outrageous to so disregard the integrity of a village which has managed to retain a sense of its historic identity despite suburbanisation. – Yours, etc,
FELIX M LARKIN,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.