Regional bias stretches far beyond the Government Cabinet table and the electoral commission needs to review representation levels, the INHFA has claimed.

There has been much commentary over the lack of western representation on the Cabinet.

INHFA spokesperson Vincent Roddy said that the current election process to the Dáil favours urban areas over rural constituencies.

Register of electors

“For example in Dublin Central they elect four TDs from an electorate of 61,998, while in Roscommon/Galway with an electorate of 69,598 they only elected three TDs. Likewise, in Dublin West there are four TDs from an electorate of 70,337, while in Limerick County only three TDs are elected from an electorate of 72,165,” Roddy pointed out.

“Going forward, there is a need to look at how we configure constituencies and ensure that the electoral commission doesn’t just base it on census figures, but also recognises the register of electors.”

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