Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2021
466. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the impact the delay in the taking of census 2021 will have on the work of the subsequent boundary commission in advance of local elections in 2024.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16471/21]
View answerUnlike the position for Dáil and European Parliament constituencies, there is no constitutional or legislative requirement for the revision of local electoral areas.
Section 23 of the Local Government Act 2001 empowers the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to divide a local authority area into local electoral areas and to amend those areas. However, in advance of deciding to make an order under section 23 of the Act, the Minister must, in accordance with section 32(2) of the Local Government Act 1991, request a boundary committee to make a report having regard to such matters as may be specified by the Minister. The publication of Census of Population data is one of a number of factors that informs the preparation of terms of reference for any review of local electoral areas to be undertaken and provides a basis for the work of any Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee(s) which may be established by the Minister from time to time. The Minister must publish the report of the boundary committee and must have regard to the report of that committee when deciding to make an order in relation to the revision of local electoral area boundaries.
On 15 December 2020, the Government approved the drafting of an Electoral Reform Bill and the circulation of the Bill's general scheme to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage for pre-legislative consideration. The general scheme addresses a number of commitments in the Programme for Government - Our Shared Future including the establishment of an independent statutory Electoral Commission. The general scheme was circulated to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on 8 January 2021 and has been published on my Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/34cf6-general-scheme-of-the-electoral-reform-bill-2020/.
The proposals in the general scheme provide that, following its establishment, the Commission will take on several existing statutory electoral functions from the outset, including the work currently undertaken by Local Electoral Area Boundary Committees. Against this background, it is likely that the next review of Local Electoral Areas would be undertaken by the Electoral Commission.
