The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 (No. 7) is a law of Ireland which revised Dáil constituencies in light of the 2011 census and a requirement to reduce the number of Dáil seats. The new constituencies took effect on the dissolution of the 31st Dáil on 3 February 2016 and a general election for the 32nd Dáil on the revised constituencies took place on 26 February 2016.
The membership of the Dáil had stood at 166 TDs since the 1981 general election. An amendment to electoral law in 2011 set the range of membership at between 153 and 160 TDs. In July 2011, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government established an independent Constituency Commission under the terms of the Electoral Act 1997. The commission was chaired by John Cooke, judge of the High Court, and delivered its report in June 2012.
The Act implemented the recommendations of this report, replacing the Dáil constituencies defined in the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009, which had been in effect since the 2011 general election. The size of the Dáil was reduced to 158 TDs, a reduction of 8, arranged in 40 constituencies, with district magnitude ranging from 3 to 5.
This act was repealed by the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017, which took effect on the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil and was used at the 2020 general election, held on 8 February.
Constituencies for the 32nd Dáil
ConstituencyCreatedSeatsCarlow–Kilkenny19485Cavan–Monaghan19774Clare19214Cork East19814Cork North-Central19814Cork North-West19813Cork South-Central19814Cork South-West19613Donegal20165Dublin Bay North20165Dublin Bay South20164Dublin Central19813Dublin Fingal20165Dublin Mid-West20024Dublin North-West19813Dublin Rathdown20163Dublin South-Central19484Dublin South-West19815Dublin West19814Dún Laoghaire19774Galway East19773Galway West19375Kerry20165Kildare North19974Kildare South19973Laois20163Limerick City20114Limerick County20163Longford–Westmeath20074Louth19235Mayo19974Meath East20073Meath West20073Offaly20163Roscommon–Galway20163Sligo–Leitrim20164Tipperary20165Waterford19234Wexford19215Wicklow19235
Overview of changes Change in seats This table, summarises the changes in representation. It does not address revisions to the boundaries of constituencies. ConstituencySeats 2011Seats 2016Cavan–Monaghan54Cork South-Central54Dublin Central43Dublin South-Central54Dublin South-West45Galway East43Mayo54
Constituencies abolished ConstituencySeatsArea now inDonegal North-East3DonegalDonegal South-West3Donegal and Sligo–LeitrimDublin North4Dublin FingalDublin North-Central3Dublin Bay NorthDublin North-East3Dublin Bay NorthDublin South5Dublin Rathdown, Dublin South-West and Dún LaoghaireDublin South-East4Dublin Bay SouthKerry North–West Limerick3Kerry and Limerick CountyKerry South3KerryLaois–Offaly5Laois and OffalyLimerick3Limerick CountyRoscommon–South Leitrim3Roscommon–Galway and Sligo–LeitrimSligo–North Leitrim3Sligo–LeitrimTipperary North3Tipperary and OffalyTipperary South3Tipperary
New constituencies ConstituencySeatsArea fromDonegal5Donegal North-East and Donegal South-WestDublin Bay North5Dublin North-Central and Dublin North-EastDublin Bay South4Dublin South-Central and Dublin South-EastDublin Fingal5Dublin North and Dublin WestDublin Rathdown3Dublin SouthKerry5Kerry North–West Limerick and Kerry SouthLaois3Laois–OffalyLimerick County3Limerick and Kerry North–West LimerickOffaly3Laois–Offaly and Tipperary NorthRoscommon–Galway3Galway East and Roscommon–South LeitrimSligo–Leitrim4Cavan–Monaghan, Donegal South-West, Roscommon–South Leitrim and Sligo–North LeitrimTipperary5Tipperary North and Tipperary South
References