Overview

This bill proposes allowing two individuals to jointly represent a single parliamentary constituency, sharing the responsibilities of the role. This "job-sharing" arrangement would require candidates to run jointly and, if elected, to share the work and voting rights in Parliament.

Description

Amendments to Existing Legislation

The bill amends the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 to allow for constituencies to be represented by two members instead of one. It clarifies that references to "member of Parliament" in other legislation should be interpreted to include either a single member or two members sharing the role.

Sharing Arrangements

The bill defines a "sharing arrangement" as an agreement between two individuals to jointly stand for election and, if elected, to share the constituency's representation. This includes sharing parliamentary duties and voting rights. The Speaker of the House of Commons can request that the government introduce further provisions to ensure the smooth operation of job sharing.

Voting Procedures

In parliamentary votes, each of the two job-sharing members would typically have a half-vote. However, they can agree to have one member cast a single vote on behalf of both.

Consequences of Death or Disqualification

If one of the two job-sharing members dies or is disqualified, both members are considered to have ceased being members.

Government Spending

The bill is unlikely to have a significant direct impact on government spending. The potential costs would involve any necessary adaptations to parliamentary procedures and systems to accommodate job-sharing arrangements, the exact amount of which is not specified in the bill.

Groups Affected

• Parliamentary Constituencies: The bill would directly impact the representation of those constituencies opting for a job-sharing arrangement.
• Political Parties: Parties would need to adapt their candidate selection processes to accommodate joint candidatures.
• Members of Parliament: The bill would create a new option for serving as a member of Parliament.
• Voters: Voters would have the opportunity to elect two representatives for their constituency.
• Parliamentary Staff: Parliamentary staff may need to adjust their procedures to reflect the changes.

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