| Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oireachtas | |
| |
| Citation | No. 40 of 2023 |
| Signed | 19 December 2023 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill citation | No. 77 of 2023 |
| Introduced by | Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Darragh O'Brien) |
| Introduced | 7 November 2023 |
| Repeals | |
| Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 | |
TheElectoral (Amendment) Act 2023 is alaw of Ireland to reviseDáil constituencies andEuropean Parliament constituencies. The revised Dáil constituencies will come into effect on the dissolution of the33rd Dáil. The dissolution must take place by 19 February 2025; however, theTaoiseach,Simon Harris has indicated an intention to seek a dissolution of the Dáil on 8 November.[1] The2024 general election for the 34th Dáil will follow thereafter. The revised European Parliament constituencies were used at the2024 European Parliament election.
TheElectoral Commission was established on 9 February 2023. Under theElectoral Reform Act 2022, it was required to consider a revision of constituencies in light of the2022 census. On 30 August 2023, the commission delivered a report in which it proposed several changes to Dáil constituencies, increasing the number of seats in the Dáil from 160 to 174, while increasing the number of constituencies from 39 to 43.[2]
In June 2023, the European Parliament adopted a resolution to add an additional 11 MEPs. Ireland would gain one MEP under this arrangement, increasing from 13 to 14.[3][4] This was adopted by theEuropean Council in September 2023.[5] The Electoral Commission recommended the additional seat be given to the constituency ofMidlands–North-West, with the transfer ofCounty Laois andCounty Offaly fromSouth.[6][7]
The Act implemented the recommendations of both these reports and repealed theElectoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017, which had defined the constituencies in use since the2020 general election.
| Constituency | Created | Seats | ± Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow–Kilkenny | 1948 | 5 | — |
| Cavan–Monaghan | 1977 | 5 | — |
| Clare | 1921 | 4 | — |
| Cork East | 1981 | 4 | — |
| Cork North-Central | 1981 | 5 | +1 |
| Cork North-West | 1981 | 3 | — |
| Cork South-Central | 1981 | 5 | +1 |
| Cork South-West | 1961 | 3 | — |
| Donegal | 2016 | 5 | |
| Dublin Bay North | 2016 | 5 | — |
| Dublin Bay South | 2016 | 4 | — |
| Dublin Central | 1981 | 4 | — |
| Dublin Fingal East | Next | 3 | New |
| Dublin Fingal West | Next | 3 | New |
| Dublin Mid-West | 2002 | 5 | +1 |
| Dublin North-West | 1981 | 3 | — |
| Dublin Rathdown | 2016 | 4 | +1 |
| Dublin South-Central | 1948 | 4 | — |
| Dublin South-West | 1981 | 5 | — |
| Dublin West | 1981 | 5 | +1 |
| Dún Laoghaire | 1977 | 4 | — |
| Galway East | 1977 | 4 | +1 |
| Galway West | 1937 | 5 | — |
| Kerry | 2016 | 5 | — |
| Kildare North | 1997 | 5 | +1 |
| Kildare South | 1997 | 4 | — |
| Laois | Next | 3 | New |
| Limerick City | 2011 | 4 | — |
| Limerick County | 2016 | 3 | — |
| Longford–Westmeath | 2007 | 5 | +1 |
| Louth | 1923 | 5 | — |
| Mayo | 1997 | 5 | +1 |
| Meath East | 2007 | 4 | +1 |
| Meath West | 2007 | 3 | — |
| Offaly | Next | 3 | New |
| Roscommon–Galway | 2016 | 3 | — |
| Sligo–Leitrim | 2016 | 4 | — |
| Tipperary North | Next | 3 | New |
| Tipperary South | Next | 3 | New |
| Waterford | 1923 | 4 | — |
| Wexford | 1921 | 4 | -1 |
| Wicklow | 1923 | 4 | -1 |
| Wicklow–Wexford | Next | 3 | New |
| Constituency | Area | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin | The counties of: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin; and the city of Dublin. | 4 |
| Midlands–North-West | The counties of: Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway. | 5 |
| South | The counties of: Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow; the cities and counties of Limerick and Waterford; and the city of Cork. | 5 |