Dear Sir/Madam, 

Please see below my submission. 

You might please acknowledge safe receipt of same. 

Kind Regards, 

Pat Sweeney

______________________

Dáil Constituency Review – Submission by Pat Sweeney

Summary 

This submission is concerned with the Dáil Constituencies in Cork County. Currently the 5 constituencies within Cork County have a total of 18 seats. At a national level Census 2022 provisional results published in June 2022 shows a population level within the state of 5,123,536. This represents an increase of 173,613 (7.6%) on the population level recorded for the 2016 Census.

This gives an average population of 32,022 per Dáil Deputy across the State based on the current Dáil configuration of 160 TDs. The requirement for the population per TD not to exceeds 30,000 at national level (Article 16.2.2 of the Constitution) necessitates and increase in the number of TDs to at least 171.

The proposed number of TDs for this submission is 180 which implies a population per TD of 28,464.  While this is at the higher end of the range specified in the Commission terms of reference this is justified on the basis that the population continues to grow.

The average annual increase over the period between 2016 and 2022 was 28,936.  If a similar rate of increase occurs over the next Census period the total population per TD at Census 2027 would be  29,267 still within the range of 20,000 – 30,000 reducing the need for further considerable redrawing of boundaries.

Detailed Proposal

Based on 180 TDs nationally it is proposed that there be 5 constituencies in Cork returning 20 members in total.

Since the last Constituency Commission the boundary of Cork City expanded considerably in 2019 to take in Rochestown, Douglas, Grange, Donnybrook, Frankfield, Togher, Ballincollig, Kerry Pike, Tower, Blarney, Killeens, Ballyvolane, White’s Cross, and Glanmire.

In so far as possible it would be desirable both administratively and for purposes of political representation to bring those areas which are now in Cork City within the boundaries in to the two City focused Constituencies (Cork North Central & Cork South Central)

The primary means of achieving this would be the transfer of the Ballincollig ED to Cork North Central. This is a large electoral division of some 20,538 and would of itself bring Cork North Central above the national average.

To counterbalance it is proposed to transfer the North Cork town of Mallow (3 EDs: Mallow Rural, Mallow South Urban and Mallow North Urban total population 14,363) to Cork North West.

The transfer of the areas to the west of Cork South Central (EDs: Cullan, Ballyfeard, Farrianbrien,  Ballyfoyle, Nohaval, Kinsale Rural, Kinsale Urban, population 13,569, together with Bishopstown C from Cork North Central (population 5,064) would facilitate an increase to 5 seats.

Finally balance between the 3 seats constituencies of Cork North West and Cork South West can be brought by transfer of the following EDs from CNW to CSW: Ballymurphy, Brinny, Templemartin, Murragh and Teadies from Cork North West to Cork South West.

The impact of the changes outlined above is as follows.

Constituency	Current Population	Current seats	Current Population per TD	Current Population Variance % (160 seats)	Proposed Revised seats
Cork East	130,930	4	32,733	2.22%	4
Cork North Central	131,341	4	32,835	2.54%	5
Cork South Central	130,716	4	32,679	2.05%	5
Cork North West	96,012	3	32,004	-0.06%	3
Cork South West	92,232	3	30,744	-3.99%	3
Total	581,231	18	32,291		20

Constituency	Impact of proposed changes	Revised Population	Proposed Population per TD	Population Variance % (180 seats)
Cork East	–      14,363	116,567	29,142	2.38%
Cork North Central	15,474	146,815	29,363	3.16%
Cork South Central	15,509	146,225	29,245	2.74%
Cork North West	–        6,175	85,830	28,610	0.51%
Cork South West	–        6,438	85,794	28,598	0.47%
Total		581,231	29,062	2.10%