Opinion

Redrawing the Dáil’s battle lines: 20 extra TDs and the most radical boundary revamp in 40 years

Ahead of the new Electoral Commission’s report on August 30, political analyst Odran Flynn predicts that Dáil Eireann will have 180 TDs next time and explains where the extra 20 members will come from

The increase in population to 5,123,5 36 as of April 2022 – an increase of 7.6 per cent from the previous census of 2016 – requires an amendment to the number of seats in Dáil Eireann, which currently stands at 160. Picture: RollingNews

The 2022 Census of Population revealed an increase of 361,671, which brings the population of Ireland to 5,123,5 36 as of April 2022 – an increase of 7.6 per cent from the previous census of 2016.

This increase in population requires an amendment to the number of seats in Dáil Eireann, which currently stands at 160. The new population equates to 32,022 population per TD and therefore breaches the Constitutional requirement of a minimum of ...