Fine Gael Mayo senator, Michelle Mulherin, has said that the newly established Boundary Commission which will review the number of TDs required in light of population changes in the recent census, must take account of the nature of dispersed rural communities.
“The current formula used by the Boundary Commission is that there should be one deputy per a maximum population of 30,000 citizens. I believe this is unfair in certain constituencies and is leading to a democratic deficit. The geographical size of Mayo is greater than all of Dublin's constituencies put together, yet we only have four Dáil deputies. There is also a lack of awareness of the particular requirements involved in representing people who live in dispersed rural communities.
“These factors are recognised in other jurisdictions. For the US Senate, for example, smaller states have the same number of representatives as larger states, regardless of population. The eight Dáil seats removed in the last review were mostly from constituencies on the western seaboard. The number of councillors has also decreased, yet the same areas must be covered and the same number of people must be represented. Furthermore, statistics and reports show that these rural areas are well behind in the economic recovery and uplift in employment growth which the rest of the country is experiencing. Many of these areas are losing young people through migration to the cities and big urban centres.
"Some counties like Mayo for example are divided into two constituencies with people in Ballinrobe put in with west Galway which for many offends their sense of county identity which is so important as a foundation stone to strong communities. Furthermore it means that the Dáil constituency is no longer aligned with the local authority area, in this case Mayo County Council, which in my view is not the best way to give effective representation to people.
“Giving proper democratic representation to every citizen, as opposed to just those living in large urban centres, is fundamental. It can also help counter the imbalance in regional development which has been an ongoing problem for years. The new Boundary Commission is the way we can address all of that and bring balance to the situation. This could involve Constitutional change, but if the democratic deficit is to be addressed satisfactorily, this may well have to be the approach taken.”
