asked the Minister for Local Government if he will introduce amending legislation to provide for an independent electoral commission to draw up constituency boundary revisions when necessary.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Constituency Commission.
82.
It is not proposed to introduce legislation to provide for the establishment of a constituency commission.
Is the Minister aware of the very strong criticisms from the political spokesmen in Northern Ireland to the effect that, while in Northern Ireland there is an independent electoral commission responsible for the drawing up of constituency boundaries there is no such system here to remove from direct political party control the revision of constituencies?
The provisions of the Constitution have been interpreted to mean that constituencies must be determined in a Bill passed in the normal way by the Oireachtas. The function of determining constituencies cannot be handed over to a commission without an amendment of the Constitution.
Would it not be possible for an agreed commission to be set up by the Government, a provision being incorporated into normal electoral legislation without the necessity for a formal revision of the Constitution? The report of such a commission could be formally incorporated into a Bill which would then come before the House and would, one would hope, not be the subject of political power play. Would the Minister not accept that this is the logical thing to do as happens in Northern Ireland and Great Britain? This system avoids, and rightly so, collective political odium being imposed on the Minister for Local Government and his being the subject of all sorts of pressures in relation to constituency boundaries both within and outside his own party? Would the Minister not examine that?
I do not think there is unanimous or universal acceptance for Deputy Desmond's proposal even in his own party. I do not want to quote what Deputies have said in the House already on this issue but Deputy Corish described it as the worst that could be suggested. Now Deputy Desmond is suggesting the exact same thing.
The Minister means he has not got time before the next revision?
No. It would require a change in the Constitution to set up a boundary commission.
Would the Minister not accept that one of the reasons why parliamentary and political life in this country——
The Deputy is making an argument at Question Time.
It is a straightforward question. Would the Minister not accept that because of the failure to have this kind of independence, check and balance built into legislation for the revision of constituency boundaries, parliamentary and political life in this country has greatly suffered? Surely, seeing the logic of the proposition, he does not require Unionist spokesmen in Northern Ireland berating us every day of the week, saying they have done it and we feel we have the right to criticise them?
I do not think the method of determining constituencies and the method of voting in the North of Ireland has anything to recommend itself to us here.
Did you not try to do the same for the people of Ireland?
The Deputy cannot argue both sides of the case.
Is the Minister thinking that the last Fianna Fáil hatchet man, Caoimhín Ó Beoláin, who tried to gerrymander, has since been hatcheted himself?
We cannot be diverting at Question Time.
The supporters of proportional representation claim that gerrymandering would not work under the proportional representation system so I do not see what the Deputy is worrying about.
(Interruptions.)