Hold on to your seats, there’s going to be a new deputy (or two) in town

Population explosion in Meath should see constituency maps redrawn with provision for one or two additional TDs

The population of Meath has grown by a staggering 25,000 residents since 2016, representing a 12.9 per cent jump and experts believe there will be at least one new Dail seat required in the county to fulfil constitutional requirements when boundary maps are redrawn in 2023.

The previous five-seat Meath constituency was divided into the two three-seat constituencies of Meath East and Meath West ahead of the 2007 general election.

Today, of 39 existing Dáil constituencies, 38 now have more than 30,000 people for every TD. According to the Constitution there must be one TD for every 20,000 to 30,000 people.

With Meath's population now standing at 220,000 that could mean Meath would need a seventh or possibly eighth seat (as Gavan Reilly writes today, page 15) to bolster the three in Meath East (Darren O'Rourke, SF; Helen McEntee, FG and Thomas Byrne FF) and the three in Meath West (Johnny Guirke SF; Peadar Tóibín, Aontu and Damien English, FG).

The fastest-growing Dáil constituency was Meath East, where the population increased by 11,493 (13%) compared to the last census in 2016. The three-seat constituency is home to Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne. Sinn Fein's Darren O'Rourke topped the poll there and it remains to be seen if a second SF candidate could take advantage of a boundary change in Meath East. Deputy O'Rourke is encouraging the Government and Boundary Commission to get on with the review of constituency lines as soon as possible.

“There is going to be a lot of interest in a redraw of the boundaries in Meath and the possibility of towns moving from one area to another.”

These are important findings. Planning and investment - in health, education, policing, and community facilities, for example - must follow this change. We have been bottom of the list in too many areas for too long.

"Meath will also be entitled to greater Dáil representation based on its population. It remains to be seen how that will be allocated and if constituency boundaries will change, but it is essential that Meath is not under-represented.

“I would welcome the additional seat or seats for Meath and will make a submission to any upcoming boundary review."

The Census 2022 data will now be provided to the Electoral Commission, who will determine the make-up of constituencies going forward.

The commission’s report on revised constituency boundaries is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023, just ahead of the next election which, if the Government lasts the distance, will be Spring 2024.

Senator Shane Cassells, who lost his Meath West seat at the last election and who could prosper from a fourth ticket added said the population surges in Meath's towns would need to be addressed with appropriate funding and planning

“When you drill down into where the population increases have occurred it is not just in the usual large towns but in ever developing smaller towns.

“This brings its own pressure to make sure services across education, transport, health and broadband are there to meet the demands of where people live.

“There is going to be a lot of interest in a redraw of the boundaries in Meath and the possibility of towns moving from one area to another.”

Commenting on the release, Cormac Halpin, Senior Statistician in the Census Division, said “The Preliminary Results show a population of 5,123,536 on Census night. This is an increase of 7.6 per cent since 2016. It is also the highest population recorded in a census since 1841.

There were 2,593,600 females and 2,529,936 males recorded, which is an increase of 7.7 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively.

Mr. Halpin added staff were now busy working on the completed census forms and looking forward to sharing the full set of detailed results from April next year while work has commenced on preparations for the next census, which will be held in 2027.

Meath East Fianna Fail TD and Minister for EU Affairs Thomas Byrne said the early census results showed it was important to continue to expand and enhance services across the county.

"The government will continue to deliver funded resources for new school places, disability services, transport links and health services for the growing needs of the people of Meath," he said.