Constitutional Referendum on the Number of Members of Dáil Éireann: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-25
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Cathal Byrne (FG), Cultural and Educational Panel

I am grateful to Senator Conor Murphy. I agree with the point he makes about the need for any long-term future electoral planning to incorporate the ultimate consideration of what will hopefully be a successful reunification referendum.
I just want to make contribute on two points. I thank Senator McDowell for bringing forward the motion. My understanding is that it is not being opposed by the Government. It is very important that we remind ourselves of the role of the Dáil, which is to represent the people who have elected the TDs who sit in that House. The role of the Dáil is also to elect a Government and to hold it accountable. Any future change involving a never-ending increase in the number of seats in the Dáil as a result of population increases, which is projected into the future, will make matters more difficult for TDs. A point will eventually arrive when such a large body will become unwieldy.
It is very important that we seek to put a cap in place in the future. What that cap would be, I am not sure. I am very much reminded of the fact that while the public may want fewer TDs nationally, they want more TDs locally. Every town wants a TD and everybody wants to be represented and have access and so on. In the short term, the fundamental building block of a community is the county border and the county identity. It is the jersey you pull on in the GAA. It is the support and the identity that links a place. As the population grows and as boundary commissions continue to look at this in the context of the current model of three-, four- and five-seat constituencies, we are going to have more connectedness that will involve breaches of county borders as a result of counties being placed together in constituencies. For the first time since 1961, my county was split, with part of it being place in a constituency with Wicklow. In 1961, a small part of Wexford that was linked with Carlow. What I have outlined dilutes democracy because it breaches county borders. This is an issue for counties like Louth, for example. The Oireachtas has to look at this matter and really get to grips with it. The Electoral Commission is carrying out a review involving six-seater constituencies. I do not know whether such constituencies are the answer, but the matter certainly merits discussion.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-25