asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he is prepared, prior to the introduction of proposals relating to the redistribution of Dáil constituencies, to set up an all-Party committee of the Dáil to consider the subject in all its implications; and, if so, whether he will consider the advantage of constituting the suggested committee as soon as possible.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Redistribution of Dáil Constituencies.
Article 16 of the Constitution provides that the total number of members of Dáil Éireann shall be not more than one member for each 20,000 of the population, that the ratio of members to population of each constituency shall, so far as practicable, be uniform, and that constituencies shall be revised at least once in every 12 years. Proposals for such revision must be submitted to, and approved by, the Dáil. This will be done in connection with the forthcoming proposals for the redistribution of constituencies, and full opportunity will be provided to the Dáil for public discussion of the proposals. In these circumstances there would be no advantage in having the matter examined beforehand in the manner suggested by the Deputy.
Does the Minister not realise that the matter of the arrangement of boundaries for constituencies is not one which can fruitfully be discussed in an assembly of this character, that it is one which would much more usefully be discussed at an all-Party meeting where details could be examined, with a view to ensuring (1) that there was no "hoofling" in the preparation of constituencies, and (2) that proportional representation is maintained in a form which will permit it to operate here with maximum efficiency?
This is an all-Party Assembly, and this is the place where public discussion can take place. The mere fact that these proposals must be discussed in public will be a guarantee that the "hoofling" the Deputy fears will not take place.
May I direct the attention of the Minister and of the Taoiseach to the fact that there is apparently a difference in the approach of the Minister and the Taoiseach to matters of this kind? The House could equally discuss the method of election to the Seanad, but the Taoiseach has seen fit to set up a special committee, representative of all Parties, to examine that matter, because apparently the Taoiseach realises, if the Minister does not, that that is the most efficacious way of dealing with the matter. Would the Minister now consult with the Taoiseach with a view to seeing whether, on consultation with that veteran politician, he can agree that the Taoiseach's method is much more preferable to the method which he has adopted and which, as everybody in the House realises, is capable of considerable abuse?