Irish electoral commission recommends TD increase

Image source, JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Image caption, The commission recommended changes to the D谩il (Irish parliament) due to an increase in population.
At a glance
  • The Irish electoral commission has recommended changes to the D谩il (Irish parliament) due to an increase in population.
  • The changes take account of an 8% increase in population since 2016.
  • The commission recommended an increase of 14 TDs (members of parliament).
  • Constituencies would also increase from 39 to 43.

The Irish electoral commission has recommended changes to the D谩il (lower house of Irish parliament) due to an increase in population.

These changes would see the number of TDs (members of parliament) increase to 174 from 160.

They would be elected in 43 constituencies, up from the current 39 .

The changes are to take account of an 8% increase in population since 2016, with more than 5.15m people now living in the Republic of Ireland.

The recommendation was made by the commission in its Constituency Review 2023, which has been submitted to the the Oireachtas (Irish parliament).

Under the Constitution, Ireland should have one TD per 20,000 to 30,000 people.

These changes mean each TD will represent an average of 29,593 people.

Based on the current D谩il of 160 TDs, Ireland is already operating well beyond that with a national average of one TD per 32,182.

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, A new inter-county constituency of Wicklow-Wexford was recommended

The number of three seat constituencies will increase to 13 from nine.

Some of the smaller parties had called for the creation of more four and five seat constituencies as these can favour smaller parties and independents.

Seven constituencies remain unchanged Clare, Cork South West, Donegal, Dublin Central, Kerry, Limerick County and Waterford.

A new inter-county constituency of Wicklow-Wexford is recommended.