How many TDs is too many? The question might seem abstract to some, or highly pointed to others. But it is in fact a practical one, as a group of Independent Senators have pointed out in a motion this week.
If the CSO’s projections for the highest level of population growth prove correct, the number of TDs will need to rise from the current 174, already the highest in the history of the State, to around 188 by the end of the decade, and to roughly 224 by mid-century.
The Senators point out that the implications for Leinster House are far-reaching and concerning.. The Dáil chamber will need to be rebuilt to accommodate the new deputies. Additional office space and other facilities will have to be constructed or acquired for them and their staff. The cost, disruption and inconvenience will be considerable.
The Constitution stipulates that Ireland must have one TD for not less than 20,000 and not more than 30,000 of the population. That requirement has been the subject of intermittent criticism over the years.
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Senator Michael McDowell, who supports this motion, has pointed out that if applied to the United Kingdom, there would be 2,400 MPs in the House of Commons. Others argue that an excessive number of TDs contributes to clientelism and hyper-localism.
But the House of Commons analogy does not stand up to scrutiny. Applying the UK’s ratio to Ireland would leave the Dáil with a mere 50 TDs, which is clearly inadequate, though it might appeal to the country’s 60 Senators. It is hardly surprising that larger European countries have a higher ratio. The smaller Nordic countries, however, are in broadly similar territory to Ireland.
Where Ireland is a genuine outlier is in having a constitutionally fixed ratio. The country is also experiencing some of the fastest population growth in Europe, making this a real and pressing issue, not just for facilities on Kildare Street but for maintaining a parliament that is neither too unwieldy nor too expensive.
Cynics may observe that TDs are unlikely to reduce their numbers voluntarily, though the Fine Gael-Labour government of 2011 to 2016 did precisely that within the available constitutional parameters, cutting the Dáil from 166 seats to 158. But maintaining the current number of seats, with some provision for future revision, might assuage nervousness on the benches.
This Government has shown little appetite for constitutional change, and all the signs are that the issue will be kicked down the road by referring it to the Electoral Commission. But the Senators are correct that the problem will soon become unavoidable, unless TDs wish to find their comfortable berths replaced by something more akin to a low-cost airline.
