Unfortunately the Constituency Commission seem to increasingly prefer 3-seaters these days.
The most recent Constituency Commission (whose plan hasn't been used in an election yet) reduced the number of both 3-seaters and 5-seaters by 1, increasing the number of 4-seaters by 2. But there will still be 5 more 3-seaters than there were before the 2002 election, and the number of constituencies will still be at the largest ever.
You're quite right of course that the recent revision resulted in a net change of 1 fewer 3-seater constituencies. The major shift though to 3-seaters that occured in 1998 has effectively been upheld since that time though through subsequent revisions.
A smaller percentage of TDs represent 3-seaters (and 3- or 4-seaters) now than in the pre-Constituency Commission era going back to the 1937 elections before which there were constituencies electing more than 5 members, although things are only marginally better now than they were for most of the 60s under the 1961 plan.
Yeah, the pre-CC boundary structures aren't to be lauded either.
Doesn't mean I can't keep moaning about the current Commission though!
