Constituencies
2011 Commission
This Electoral (Amendment) Act 2011 provides for the revision of the terms of reference of a Constituency Commission,
The terms of reference of a Constituency Commission are required to recommend Dáil constituencies based on an overall number of members of Dáil Éireann between a minimum of 152 and a maximum of 160. The number of members of Dáil Éireann recommended by a Commission is subject to the limits set out in the Constitution.
The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 provides for the number of members of Dáil Éireann, for the revision of constituencies and for the number of members to be elected for such constituencies. The Act implements the recommendations of the Constituency Commission Report 2012 Dáil and European Parliament Constituencies (Prn. A12/0834).
The Commission was established under the Electoral Act 1997 to report on the constituencies for the election of members to Dáil Éireann and the European Parliament in light of the results of the 2011 Census of Population.
Reduction in Dail Numbers
The number of members of Dáil Éireann will be 158 after the dissolution of the Dáil next following the enactment of this Act. This is the number recommended by the
Constituency Commission within the range of 153 to 160 provided for in the Electoral Act 1997. The members of Dáil Éireann will represent the 40 constituencies specified in the Schedule.
Formerly there were 43 constituencies. The number of members to be returned by each constituency are as set out in the Act.
Overall, eleven 5-seat constituencies, sixteen 4-seat constituencies and thirteen 3-seat constituencies are provided.
2016 Dail Election Constituencies
Carlow-Kilkenny 5 145,659 29,132 +0.32
Cavan-Monaghan 4 120,483 30,121 +3.72
Clare 4 111,336 27,834 ?4.15
Cork East 4 114,365 28,591 ?1.55
Cork North-Central 4 117,170 29,293 +0.87
Cork North-West 3 86,593 28,864 ?0.60
Cork South-Central 4 117,952 29,488 +1.54
Cork South-West 3 82,952 27,651 ?4.78
Donegal 5 152,358 30,472 +4.93
Dublin Bay North 5 146,512 29,302 +0.90
Dublin Bay South 4 116,396 29,099 +0.20
Dublin Central 3 89,030 29,677 +2.19
Dublin Fingal 5 141,162 28,232 ?2.78
Dublin Mid-West 4 110,427 27,607 ?4.94
Dublin North-West 3 90,534 30,178 +3.92
Dublin Rathdown 3 87,470 29,157 +0.40
Dublin South-Central 4 114,660 28,665 ?1.29
Dublin South-West 5 144,908 28,982 ?0.20
Dublin West 4 113,179 28,295 ?2.57
Dún Laoghaire 4 118,791 29,698 +2.26
Galway East 3 89,564 29,855 +2.81
Galway West 5 150,874 30,175 +3.91
Kerry 5 145,502 29,100 +0.21
Kildare North 4 115,350 28,838 ?0.70
Kildare South 3 87,776 29,259 +0.75
Laois 3 87,745 29,248 +0.72
Limerick City 4 113,835 28,459 ?2.00
Limerick County 3 83,834 27,945 ?3.77
Longford-Westmeath 4 116,802 29,201 +0.55
Louth 5 143,272 28,654 ?1.33
Mayo 4 120,332 30,083 +3.59
Meath East 3 86,572 28,857 ?0.63
Meath West 3 85,550 28,517 ?1.80
Offaly 3 87,640 29,213 +0.60
Roscommon-Galway 3 84,586 28,195 ?2.91
Sligo-Leitrim 4 119,153 29,788 +2.58
Tipperary 5 147,801 29,560 +1.79
Waterford 4 113,795 28,449 ?2.04
Wexford 5 145,320 29,064 +0.08
Wicklow 5 141,012 28,202 ?2.88
Total 158 4,588,252 29,040
2017 Revision
The purpose of the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 is to provide for the number of members of Dáil Éireann, for the revision of constituencies and for the number of members to be elected for such constituencies, and for the amendment of the Electoral Act 1997. The Act implements the recommendations in the Constituency Commission Report 2017 – Dáil and European Parliament Constituencies (June 2017).
The Commission was established under the Electoral Act to report on the constituencies for the election of members to Dáil Éireann and the European Parliament in light of the results of Census 2016. It provides that the number of members of Dáil Éireann will be 160 after the dissolution of the Dáil next following the enactment of this Act.
This is the number recommended by the Constituency Commission within the range of 153 to 160 provided for in the Electoral Act. Formerly, there are 158 members.After the dissolution of the Dáil next following the enactment of this Act the members of Dáil Éireann will represent the 39 constituencies specified in the Schedule. The number of members to be returned by each constituency was as set out in the third column of the Schedule.
The terms of reference of a Constituency Commission established to review Dáil constituencies are revised. Under the revised terms of reference, a Constituency Commission will be required to recommend Dáil constituencies based on a total number of members in Dáil Éireann of not less than 166 and not more than 172. This would apply to the review to be done after the next census which is expected in 2021.
Section 6 provides for the repeal of the Electoral (Amendment) The Schedule to the Act contains the definition of the 39 Dáil constituencies. The Table below sets out, for each constituency, the number of TDs, the 2016 population, the population per TD and the percentage variance from national average representation. Overall, thirteen 5-seat constituencies, seventeen 4-seat constituencies and nine 3-seat are provided for. Further details on the constituencies are in the Constituency Commission Report 2017 – Dáil and European Parliament Constituencies which can be viewed at www.constituency-commission.ie.
2020 Dail Election Constituencies
Constituencies
Constituency Number of TDs 2016
Population
Population per TD
% variance from National Average Population per TD
Carlow-Kilkenny 5 156,164 31,233 +4.94
Cavan-Monaghan 5 141,535 28,307 -4.89
Clare 4 118,817 29,704 -0.19
Cork East 4 121,429 30,357 +2.00
Cork North-Central 4 124,836 31,209 +4.86
Cork North-West 3 89,080 29,693 -0.23
Cork South-Central 4 122,221 30,555 +2.66
Cork South-West 3 85,302 28,434 -4.46
Donegal 5 150,657 30,131 +1.24
Dublin Bay North 5 147,879 29,576 -0.62
Dublin Bay South 4 121,176 30,294 +1.79
Dublin Central 4 113,765 28,441 -4.44
Dublin Fingal 5 152,086 30,417 +2.20
Dublin Mid-West 4 117,976 29,494 -0.90
Dublin North-West 3 84,598 28,199 -5.25
Dublin Rathdown 3 92,937 30,979 +4.09
Dublin South-Central 4 119,469 29,867 +0.35
Dublin South-West 5 150,495 30,099 +1.13
Dublin West 4 121,897 30,474 +2.39
Dún Laoghaire 4 125,081 31,270 +5.07
Galway East 3 89,548 29,849 +0.29
Galway West 5 144,914 28,983 -2.62
Kerry 5 147,707 29,541 -0.74
Kildare North 4 119,548 29,887 +0.42
Kildare South 4 114,810 28,703 -3.56
Laois-Offaly 5 150,804 30,161 +1.34
Limerick City 4 113,421 28,355 -4.73
Limerick County 3 85,853 28,618 -3.84
Longford-Westmeath 4 120,962 30,241 +1.61
Louth 5 150,924 30,185 +1.42
Mayo 4 124,975 31,244 +4.98
Meath East 3 87,169 29,056 -2.37
Meath West 3 90,543 30,181 +1.41
Roscommon-Galway 3 85,866 28,622 -3.83
Sligo-Leitrim 4 113,920 28,480 -4.31
Tipperary 5 155,178 31,036 +4.28
Waterford 4 116,176 29,044 -2.41
Wexford 5 149,722 29,944 +0.61
Wicklow 5 142,425 28,485 -4.29
Total 160 4,761,865 29,762
2022 Act – New System
Electoral Reform Act 2022 provides for transfer to the Commission of the function of reviewing and reporting on Dáil and European Parliament constituencies from Constituency Commissions.
The Commission is to  carry out Dáil and/or European Parliament electoral boundary reviews. Constituency Commissions were previously established by Ministerial Order, following the publication of the preliminary result of a Census by the Central Statistics Office, or in certain circumstances where the number of European Parliament seats allocated to Ireland has been amended.
The Census-driven reviews are  undertaken by the Commission following the publication of preliminary results without a need for Ministerial Order, reflecting the independence of the Commission and the organisational context for the function.
Reports
Electoral Reform Act 2022 sets out the types of reports which the Commission is required to prepare, having regard to the circumstances which triggered the review. It also specifies the matters which the Commission will have regard to in conducting reviews and preparing reports. The timelines for the Commission to present reports prepared under this chapter to the Joint Oireachtas Committee and lay same before the Houses of the Oireachtas are set out. It also provides that reports may state that no alteration of boundaries is required.
The public are to be informed of the Commission’s undertaking of a review under this chapter. The information is to be provided by the Commission in a public statement. There are particulars of how public submissions should be made and recorded and requiring that all such statements be considered by the Commission in its review.
Electoral Reform Act 2022 provides for the transfer of the function of reviewing and reporting on local electoral area boundaries from Local Electoral Area Boundary Committees to the Commission.
Role of Minister
Before the Minister amends local electoral area boundaries, he or she first requests the Commission to prepare a report and has regard to it when deciding to amend the boundary/boundaries. This has the effect of transferring the report-making function from Local Electoral Area Boundary Committees to the Commission.
The Minister may, in his/her request to the Commission set out matters to which the Commission will have regard to in preparing its report. These matters are subject to the approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas. The section also requires local. authorities to provide the Commission with any information which it may need in preparing its report.
The Act sets out that the Minister specifies the timeframe for the delivery by the Commission of its report. The  Commission gives public notice of its preparation of a report under this chapter, and that the Commission makes provisions for the public and stakeholders to make submissions on the review. It further requires that the Commission have regard to all submissions received.