Sir, – Dr Adrian Kavanagh of Maynooth University’s Department of Geography said, in relation to the country’s population rise, “that an increase in Dáil members from the current 160 to 176 or 178 would future proof against further growth” (“Census 2022 results lead to suggestion of new six-seat constituencies”, News, June 24th).
It could also be argued that the electorate would actually prefer to have a referendum on reducing the number of TDs, by for instance having one TD for every 35,000 to 40,000 people.
New Zealand, for example, with a population of 5,127,100, operates a unicameral legislature with 120 seats for a population close to that of Ireland’s preliminary census results. – Yours, etc,
JOE CAHILL,
READ MORE
Janan Ganesh: Elon Musk is wasted in the US – but he might shock Europe into changing its ways
Peter Pan review: Gaiety panto takes off with dizzying ensemble numbers and breathtaking effects
Lebanon ceasefire: ‘We have no windows, no doors but we can live. Not like other people’
Sally Rooney: When are we going to have the courage to stop the climate crisis?
Wilton,
Cork.