Ireland isn’t gaining two European Parliament seats, it’s losing one - Carthy

Intro:

The European Parliament is going to have to reallocate the number of MEPs in the next term following Brexit, and the Republic of Ireland is set to gain two seats - 13 in the next term starting next year from 11 today.

Mairead McGuiness, a Fine Gael MEP and vice-president of the parliament, has said this is a great opportunity for an increased voice in the EU and said this week constituencies need to be urgently redrawn.

But Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy says in his view Ireland is actually losing seats, because Northern Ireland will lost its three seats in the European Parliament after Brexit. He says Dublin should focus on maintaining seats for the North in the next term, rather than focusing on reallocating the two new seats.

Outro:

"...voted to remain part of the European Union"