Alan Shatter
Question:10 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for the Environment when it is intended to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Dáil Constituencies Commission.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dáil Constituencies Commission Report.
Mary Flaherty
Question:46 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for the Environment when it is intended to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Dáil Constituencies Commission.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 46 together.
The Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 1990, which was presented to the House on 23 November 1990 and has been circulated to Deputies provides for the implementation of the recommendations of the Dáil Constitutency Commission.
Would the Minister agree that it was only after the little political accident at the end of October when the Progressive Democrats almost pulled out of Government that he finally accepted there was a need to bring forward that legislation as a matter of urgency? Would he not further agree that it was not until that little political accident took place that the Government agreed to publish a Bill to implement the commission's report? Will the Minister indicate whether it is intended that there will be a further census of population within the next two years which could result in a further Bill to amend the constitutencies having to be brought before this House?
The answer to the Deputy's first question is that a Bill is being brought forward in the normal way to implement the recommendations of the independent commission which was set up earlier in the year. With regard to the Deputy's second question, there will be another census. Obviously we cannot pre-empt any changes which might take place because of that census but it is possible that there will be a need for us to look further at this matter.
Will the Minister indicate the date from which the next census will commence and when it is anticipated the results of that census will be available to enable the Minister or his Department to determine whether a new commission has to be appointed to look at constitutency boundaries?
That is a separate question. I do not have the information with me concerning the next census. We are dealing here with the implementation of the recommendations of the independent commission on boundaries which will be brought before the House in the immediate future.