Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017

1. Interpretation

1. (1) In this Act “Minister” means the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government.

(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.

2. Number of members of Dáil Éireann

2. Dáil Éireann shall, after the dissolution thereof that next occurs after the passing of this Act, consist of 160 members.

3. Constituencies

3. (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 September 2017, 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 1(2)(b), be determined by the Minister.

4. Number of members to be returned for a constituency

4. A constituency specified in the Schedule shall return the number of members set out in respect thereof in the third column of that Schedule.

5. Amendment of section 6(2) of Electoral Act 1997

5. Section 6(2) (amended by section 3 of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2011) of the Electoral Act 1997 is amended by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (a):

“(a) the total number of members of the Dáil, subject to Article 16.2.2 of the Constitution, shall be not less than 166 and not more than 172;”.

6. Repeal

6. (1) The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 is repealed.

(2) Subsection (1) shall come into operation on the dissolution of Dáil Éireann that next occurs after the passing of this Act.

7. Short title, collective citation and construction

7. (1) This Act may be cited as the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017.

(2) The Electoral Acts 1992 to 2016 and this Act may be cited together as the Electoral Acts 1992 to 2017 and shall be construed together as one.

SCHEDULE

Section 3