Vol. 187 No. 3
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will provide in tabular form in respect of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1961, information showing in respect of each constituency (a) the population at the 1946 Census and the electorate according to the 1947-48 Register, and (b) the population at the 1956 Census, the electorate according to the 1957-58 Register and the electorate according to the 1961-62 Register.
11.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will provide in tabular form in respect of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1961, information showing in respect of each constituency the population thereof, the number of district electoral divisions therein, the average population of such district electoral divisions in each constituency, and the average area of such district electoral divisions.
12.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will provide in tabular form in respect of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1961, information showing in respect of each constituency the area thereof, the area per member, and the population density of persons per hundred acres.
13.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will provide in tabular form in respect of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1961, information showing the differential of ratio between population and seats in each constituency, expressed in percentages of (a) the highest and (b) the lowest ratio.
14.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will provide in tabular form in respect of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1961, information showing the ratio between population and seats in each constituency, expressed as per index to base national average.
15.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will provide in tabular form in respect of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1961, information showing in respect of each constituency the population thereof, the number of Dáil members therein, and the ratio of the number of members to population, arranging the constituencies in the order of their variation from the national average ratio.
16.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will circulate with the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1961 a table showing for each proposed constituency (a) the population under the 1956 Census, (b) the number of members to be elected and (c) the ratio between the number of members to be elected therefor and the population thereof.
I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 10 to 16 together.
Information on the lines sought by the Deputies will, so far as it is reasonably available, be provided when the text of the Bill is circulated.
Would the Minister say whether that information will be provided by means of an explanatory memorandum or whether it will be part of the Minister's speech? Will we have an opportunity of seeing it and studying it?
It is not possible to say at this stage whether the information that would reasonably be available will be of such a lengthy nature as to require an explanatory memorandum or whether it will be reasonably available at all. Some of the information sought in these Questions would appear to be entirely irrelevant to the Electoral Act.
In so far as information is necessary because of alterations in the constituencies, if there be many such alterations, would the Minister endeavour to supply an explanatory memorandum containing such information in order to facilitate a helpful discussion on the Bill?
As I have said, in so far as information relevant to the matter under discussion is required and is reasonably available, I shall try to make it available to the House in some form or other.
