New European Parliament constituency for local voters

 

Westmeath and Roscommon people will vote in a new constituency for the next European elections, it has emerged.

It follows the publication of a report on the European Parliament constituencies today.

The report, presented to the chairman of Dáil Éireann by The European Parliament Constituencies Commission recommends a new four-seat constituency of the Midlands-North West.

The new constituency will comprise a massive 15 counties, spanning Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway

It will elect four MEPs.

Westmeath is currently in the North West area along with Longford, but other Midlands counties including Offaly and Laois were located in the East constituency.

The constituencies commission was formed in the wake of a decision of the European Council that the number of members to be elected for the 2014-2019 Parliamentary term would be reduced from 12 to eleven.

The commission has now recommended the merging of Ireland's four constituencies to three.

At present, the constituencies are Dublin, East, South and North West. The new constituencies will be Dublin, South and Midlands-North West

The members of the Committee were: Mr. Justice Cooke (Chairman); Mr. Kieran Coughlan, Clerk of the Dáil; Ms Deirdre Lane, Clerk of the Seanad; Ms. Geraldine Tallon, Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and Ms. Bernie McNally, Director General of the Office of the Ombudsman.  (Mr Coughlan retired as Clerk of the Dáil during the course of the Committee’s work but continued as a member of the Committee). 

The constituencies:

A 3-seat ‘Dublin’ constituency comprising the counties of: Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin; and the city of Dublin.

A 4-seat ‘Midlands-North-West’ constituency comprising the counties of: Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway.

A 4-seat ‘South’ constituency comprising the counties of: Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, North Tipperary, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow; and the cities of Cork, Limerick and Waterford.