Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017
| Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oireachtas | |
| |
| Citation | No. 39 of 2017 |
| Signed | 23 December 2017 |
| Commenced | 23 December 2017 & 14 January 2020 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill citation | No. 137 of 2017 |
| Introduced by | Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (Eoghan Murphy) |
| Introduced | 20 November 2017 |
| Repeals | |
| Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 | |
| Repealed by | |
| 8 November 2024 | |
| Status: Repealed | |
The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 (No. 39) is a law of Ireland which revised Dáil constituencies. It took effect on the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil on 14 January 2020 and a general election for the 33rd Dáil on the revised constituencies took place on 8 February 2020.
Following the 2016 census, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government established an independent Constituency Commission under terms of the Electoral Act 1997.[1] The commission was chaired by Robert Haughton, judge of the High Court, and delivered its report in June 2017. It proposed several changes to Dáil constituencies, increasing the number of seats in the Dáil from 158 to 160, while the number of constituencies were reduced by 1 to 39.[2]
The Act implemented the recommendations of this report and repealed the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013, which had defined the constituencies used since the 2016 general election.[3] It increased the range for future revisions by the Constituency Commission of Dáil constituencies from between 153 and 160 TDs in 2011 legislation, to between 166 and 172 TDs.[4]
This act was repealed by the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023, which took effect on the dissolution of the 33rd Dáil and will be in use at the 2024 general election, to be held on 29 November 2024.[5]
Revised constituencies
[edit]
| Constituency[6] | Created | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Carlow–Kilkenny | 1948 | 5 |
| Cavan–Monaghan | 1977 | 5 |
| Clare | 1921 | 4 |
| Cork East | 1981 | 4 |
| Cork North-Central | 1981 | 4 |
| Cork North-West | 1981 | 3 |
| Cork South-Central | 1981 | 4 |
| Cork South-West | 1961 | 3 |
| Donegal | 2016 | 5 |
| Dublin Bay North | 2016 | 5 |
| Dublin Bay South | 2016 | 4 |
| Dublin Central | 1981 | 4 |
| Dublin Fingal | 2016 | 5 |
| Dublin Mid-West | 2002 | 4 |
| Dublin North-West | 1981 | 3 |
| Dublin Rathdown | 2016 | 3 |
| Dublin South-Central | 1948 | 4 |
| Dublin South-West | 1981 | 5 |
| Dublin West | 1981 | 4 |
| Dún Laoghaire | 1977 | 4 |
| Galway East | 1977 | 3 |
| Galway West | 1937 | 5 |
| Kerry | 2016 | 5 |
| Kildare North | 1997 | 4 |
| Kildare South | 1997 | 4 |
| Laois–Offaly | 2020 | 5 |
| Limerick City | 2011 | 4 |
| Limerick County | 2016 | 3 |
| Longford–Westmeath | 2007 | 4 |
| Louth | 1923 | 5 |
| Mayo | 1997 | 4 |
| Meath East | 2007 | 3 |
| Meath West | 2007 | 3 |
| Roscommon–Galway | 2016 | 3 |
| Sligo–Leitrim | 2016 | 4 |
| Tipperary | 2016 | 5 |
| Waterford | 1923 | 4 |
| Wexford | 1921 | 5 |
| Wicklow | 1923 | 5 |
Change in seats
[edit]This table summarises the changes in representation but does not address revisions to the boundaries of constituencies.
| Constituency | Seats 2016 | Seats 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Cavan–Monaghan | 4 | 5 |
| Dublin Central | 3 | 4 |
| Kildare South | 3 | 4 |
Constituencies abolished
[edit]| Constituency | Seats | Area now in |
|---|---|---|
| Laois | 3 | Laois–Offaly and Tipperary |
| Offaly | 3 | Laois–Offaly and Kildare South |
New constituencies
[edit]| Constituency | Seats | Area from |
|---|---|---|
| Laois–Offaly | 5 | Laois and Offaly |
References
[edit]- ^ Constituency Commission (Establishment) Order 2016 (S.I. No. 374 of 2016). Signed on 14 July 2016. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Constituency Commission Report 2017" (PDF). Constituency Commission. 27 June 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017, s. 6: Repeal (No. 39 of 2017, s. 6). Enacted on 23 December 2017. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 5 October 2021.
- ^ Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017, s. 5: Amendment of section 6(2) of Electoral Act 1997 (No. 39 of 2017, s. 5). Enacted on 23 December 2017. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 16 December 2021.
- ^ Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023, s. 6: Repeal (No. 40 of 2023, s. 6). Enacted on 19 December 2023. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 8 November 2024.
- ^ Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017, Schedule (No. 39 of 2017, Schedule). Enacted on 23 December 2017. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 8 August 2021.