Electoral (amendment) act 2009

• Act Number: 4
• Enactment Date: 24 February 2009

Number 4 of 2009
ELECTORAL (AMENDMENT) ACT 2009
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
PART 1
Preliminary and General
Section
1. Short title, collective citations and construction.
2. Interpretation.
PART 2
Dáil Constituencies and Number of Members
3. Number of members of Dáil Éireann.
4. Constituencies.
5. Number of members to be returned for constituency.
6. Repeal.
PART 3
European Parliament Constituencies and Number of Members
7. Amendment of section 15 of European Parliament Elections Act 1997.
8. Substitution of Third Schedule to European Parliament Elections Act 1997.
PART 4
Constituency Commission
9. Substitution of Part II of Electoral Act 1997.
PART 5
European Parliament Elections
10. Substitution of sections 12 and 13 of European Parliament Elections Act 1997.
11. Substitution of rules 2 to 5 of Second Schedule to European Parliament Elections Act 1997.
12. Substitution of rule 13 of Second Schedule to European Parliament Elections Act 1997.
13. Amendment of rules 17 and 88 of Second Schedule to European Parliament Elections Act 1997.
14. Amendment of Schedule to Electoral Act 1997.
PART 6
Local Elections
15. Substitution of articles 11 to 20 of Local Elections Regulations.
16. Amendment of article 83 of Local Elections Regulations.
17. Amendment of article 84 of Local Elections Regulations.
18. Amendment of article 86 of Local Elections Regulations.
19. Amendment of Local Elections (Disclosure of Donations and Expenditure) Act 1999.
20. Confirmation of Local Elections Regulations.
SCHEDULE
Acts Referred to
Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956 to 2005 Electoral (Amendment) Act 2005 2005, No. 16 Electoral Act 1997 1997, No. 25 Electoral Acts 1992 to 2007 European Parliament Elections Act 1997 1997, No. 2 European Parliament Elections Acts 1992 to 2006 Local Elections (Disclosure of Donations and Expenditure) Act 1999 1999, No. 7 Local Elections Acts 1974 to 2006 Statutory Declarations Act 1938 1938, No. 37 Succession Act 1965 1965, No. 27
Number 4 of 2009
ELECTORAL (AMENDMENT) ACT 2009
AN ACT TO REVISE DÁIL AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONSTITUENCIES, TO PROVIDE FOR THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS TO BE ELECTED FOR SUCH CONSTITUENCIES, TO AMEND THE LAW RELATING TO THE CONSTITUENCY COMMISSION, AND FOR THOSE AND OTHER PURPOSES TO AMEND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS ACT 1997 AND CERTAIN OTHER ENACTMENTS, TO AMEND AND GIVE STATUTORY EFFECT TO THE LOCAL ELECTIONS REGULATIONS 1995 AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS.
[24th February, 2009]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
PART 1 Preliminary and General
	Short title, collective citations and construction.	1.— (1) This Act may be cited as the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009.
	(2) The Electoral Acts 1992 to 2007 and this Act may be cited together as the Electoral Acts 1992 to 2009 and shall be read together as one.
	(3) The European Parliament Elections Acts 1992 to 2006 and this Act (in so far as it relates to European Parliament elections) may be cited together as the European Parliament Elections Acts 1992 to 2009 and shall be read together as one.
	(4) The Local Elections Acts 1974 to 2006 and this Act (in so far as it relates to local elections) may be cited together as the Local Elections Acts 1974 to 2009 and shall be read together as one.
	Interpretation.	2.— (1) In this Act “Local Elections Regulations” means the Local Elections Regulations 1995 ( S.I. No. 297 of 1995 ).
	(2) In the Schedule —
	(a) a reference to a former rural district shall be construed as a reference to that district as constituted immediately before 1 October 1925, and
	(b) a reference to a line drawn along any motorway, road or street shall be construed as a reference to a line drawn along the centre of such motorway, road or street.
PART 2 Dáil Constituencies and Number of Members
	Number of members of Dáil Éireann.	3.— Dáil Éireann shall, after the dissolution thereof that next occurs after the passing of this Act, consist of 166 members.
	Constituencies.	4.— (1) The members of Dáil Éireann shall, after the dissolution of Dáil Éireann that next occurs after the passing of this Act, represent the constituencies specified in the Schedule .
	(2) An area specified in the Schedule shall be taken to be that area as constituted on 1 March 2008, but if any doubt arises as to the constituency in which any electoral division or part thereof, or any townland or part thereof, is included, the doubt shall, subject to section 2 (2)(b), be determined by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
	Number of members to be returned for constituency.	5.— A constituency specified in the Schedule shall return the number of members set out in respect thereof in the third column of that Schedule .
	Repeal.	6.— (1) Sections 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 and 7 of, and the Schedule to, the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2005 are repealed.
	(2) Subsection (1) shall come into operation on the dissolution of Dáil Éireann that next occurs after the passing of this Act.
PART 3 European Parliament Constituencies and Number of Members
	Amendment of section 15 of European Parliament Elections Act 1997.	7.— Section 15 of the European Parliament Elections Act 1997 is amended by substituting the following subsection for subsection (3):
	“(3) An area specified in the Third Schedule shall be taken to be that area as constituted on 1 March 2008.”.
	Substitution of Third Schedule to European Parliament Elections Act 1997.	8.— The European Parliament Elections Act 1997 is amended as respects European elections held after 1 January 2009 by substituting the following Schedule for the Third Schedule to that Act:
	Section 15.
	“THIRD SCHEDULE
	Constituencies
Constituency Area Number of Members Dublin The counties of: Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin; and the city of Dublin. 3 East The counties of: Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Wexford and Wicklow. 3 North-West The counties of: Cavan, Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway. 3 South The counties of: Cork, Kerry, Limerick, North Tipperary, South Tipperary and Waterford; and the cities of Cork, Limerick and Waterford. 3
	”.
PART 4 Constituency Commission
	Substitution of Part II of Electoral Act 1997.	9.— The Electoral Act 1997 is amended by substituting the following Part for Part II:
	“PART II
	Constituency Commission
	Establishment of Constituency Commission.
	5.— (1) Upon the publication by the Central Statistics Office, following a Census of Population, of the Census Report setting out the preliminary result of the Census in respect of the total population of the State there shall be established by the Minister, by order, a commission (in this Act referred to as “a Constituency Commission”) to perform the functions assigned to it by this Part.
	(2) A Constituency Commission and its members shall be independent in the performance of their functions under this Act.
	(3) Every order made under subsection (1) shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made.
	Functions of Constituency Commission.
	6.— (1) It shall be the function of a Constituency Commission to make a report in relation to the constituencies for—
	(a) the election of members to the Dáil, and
	(b) the election of members of the European Parliament.
	(2) In preparing a report under subsection (1)(a) a Constituency Commission shall, in observing the relevant provisions of the Constitution in relation to Dáil constituencies, have regard to the following:
	(a) the total number of members of the Dáil, subject to Article 16.2.2° of the Constitution, shall be not less than 164 and not more than 168;
	(b) each constituency shall return 3, 4 or 5 members;
	(c) the breaching of county boundaries shall be avoided as far as practicable;
	(d) each constituency shall be composed of contiguous areas;
	(e) there shall be regard to geographic considerations including significant physical features and the extent of and the density of population in each constituency; and
	(f) subject to the provisions of this section, the Commission shall endeavour to maintain continuity in relation to the arrangement of constituencies.
	(3) In preparing a report under subsection (1)(b) a Constituency Commission shall have regard to the following:
	(a) the total number of members of the European Parliament to be elected in the State shall be 12 or such other number as may be specified for the time being pursuant to the treaties governing the European Communities;
	(b) there shall be reasonable equality of representation as between constituencies; and
	(c) the matters specified in paragraphs (b) to (f) of subsection (2).
	(4) The reference in subsection (2)(c) to county boundaries shall be deemed not to include a reference to the boundary of a city or any boundary between any 2 of the counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.
	Membership of Constituency Commission.
	7.— A Constituency Commission shall consist of the following members:
	(a) (i) a judge of the Supreme Court, or
	(ii) following consultation with the President of the High Court, a judge of the High Court,
	nominated by the Chief Justice, who shall be the chairperson of the Commission;
	(b) the Ombudsman;
	(c) the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government;
	(d) the Clerk of the Dáil; and
	(e)...