Galway West Independent TD Noel Grealish has called for a cap on the number of TDs elected to Dáil Éireann.
He warned that the forecasted population growth of Ireland means that the number of deputies could soar to 240 from the current figure of 160 over the next three decades or so.
Speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil last week, he said that the question of putting an upper limit – rather continuing with the current Constitutional requirement of at least one TD per 30,000 of the population – should be put to the people in a referendum.
“This chamber would not be able to accommodate that number of deputies. We would have to build a new chamber to cater for the increased number of TDs, provide additional offices as well as funding for all of the associated parliamentary and support staff for each elected member – the cost of which would be hundreds of millions of euro.”
Deputy Grealish said that the keynote speaker at the Clifden Arts Festival, the former Attorney General, Minister for Justice and Tánaiste, Senator Michael McDowell, had noted that if the United Kingdom used the same criteria to determine the number of MPs in its Parliament, instead of the current 650 members of parliament, the House of Commons would have 2,400 members.
“The current figure of 650 members in the UK Parliament has remained constant for almost half a century, with little increase in the past 10 years. Spain, Germany, France and the Netherlands have an even lower proportion of members of parliament to population than the UK.
“So too has Italy, which held a constitutional referendum in 2020 that resulted in a reduction in the number of members of both of its houses. This was passed by a 70 per cent majority, something that I could easily see being repeated in Ireland if we had a referendum to amend our Constitution.”
Deputy Grealish said the question should be handed over to the Electoral Commission to examine and he asked that other TDs support the move.
Replying, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, said that this was something that An Coimisiún Toghcháin had indicated a willingness to consider, and it wanted to commence a ‘national conversation’ on whether Dáil Éireann should continue to grow to match the increase in population .
“My own view is that the growth in population will continue to require the level of representation that our own Dáil provides at the moment," the Minister said. "I would be reluctant to put any cap on that at the moment.”
He added: “I would not like to see unlimited growth but, on the other hand, the level of representation that we have within our country at the moment does broadly work and I would not like to see any sudden change in that regard.”
Deputy Grealish reiterated his contention that a proposal to cap the number of TDs, bringing Ireland's Parliament into line with other EU countries, was a question that the people should have the opportunity to decide.
