The Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr Phil Hogan, TD has announced that a Constituency Commission will be formed under the Electoral Act 1997 to review the Dáil and European constituencies.
The Hon Mr Justice John Cooke has been appointed by the Chief Justice as the Chairperson of the Commission.
The purpose of the Commission is to recommend Dáil constituencies based on a reduced number of TDs between a minimum of 153 and a maximum of 160. These revised terms come under the amended Electoral (Amendment) Act 2011.
The other members of the Commission include the Clerk of the Dáil, Mr. Kieran Coughlan; the Clerk of the Seanad, Ms. Deirdre Lane; the Ombudsman, Ms. Emily O’Reilly; and the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Ms. Geraldine Tallon.