82 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the form the proposed review of the electoral system will take in view of the commitment contained in the review of An Action Programme for the Millennium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23308/99]

The Government programme contained a commitment to a review of the electoral system and that commitment has been restated in the recently announced review of the Action Programme for the Millennium. The review is being undertaken in the first instance by the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution as part of their examination of the institutions of State. I would be hopeful that their report, when it is available, would provide the basis for an informed debate on a system of election which is appropriate to modern circumstances.