asked the Minister for Local Government if, in view of the considerable disparity in the number of municipal voters in the various electoral areas in the County Borough of Dublin as a result of which one area has three times as many voters as another, alterations will be made in the boundaries of the areas; and, if so, when.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Borough Boundaries.
7.
Section 3 of the Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1945, provides that in dividing Dublin County Borough into electoral areas regard must be had to the population and rateable valuations of the areas. The Act does not require a division to be effected on the basis of the number of electors.
Even though the Act does not require a division to be effected on the basis of the number of electors, surely the Minister will agree that it is inequitable to expect public representatives in a particular ward to look after the interests of up to 15,000 or 16,000, whereas an equivalent number have responsibility for less than half that number. The boundaries of wards in the city of Dublin have got completely out of proportion. Surely the Minister, even though he is not required to do so by the particular Act he mentions, should, in the general interest, have a local government investigation carried out?
The Deputy is making a speech.
The only thing I could say about agreeing, even if I were to agree with what the Deputy says, is that I do not consider any amendments of the nature he suggests would meet his view. It could possibly be done and be effective for the next local elections.
Is it not a type of gerrymandering to have that sort of situation?
The usual thing, so far as I am concerned, is that when I do things with regard to boundaries, I am accused of gerrymandering. Now I find myself in the position that when I do nothing, I am also accused of gerrymandering.
Will the Minister agree if Deputy Ryan's figures are correct and if his reply is correct, as I assume it is, where the valuations are taken into account as well as the population, that it means, in effect, that one rich person and one with a high valuation will have the same power as three small fellows have today? The valuations are similar even though there are three times as many residents in one area as the other and representation in the corporation will be similar.
I should like to remind Deputies that there are 213 Questions on the Order Paper for 2½ hours. That might influence Deputies in the number of supplementary questions they ask.
People in an affluent area will have three times the representation on a corporation. Are we to take it the Minister is not really concerned with ensuring that people in an area have adequate representation on the council?
The Deputy may not take anything of the sort. I have said that regard must be had to two things, population and rateable valuations of the areas concerned. I also said that the Act does not require a division to be effected on the basis of the number of electors. Further, I should say that unless something has been going on very recently of which I am not aware, no sort of popular demand has emerged from the corporation or elsewhere that this should be done.