Overview

This bill concerns the review and redrawing of parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom. Amendments proposed by the House of Lords sought to alter the frequency of reviews, the composition of boundary commissions, and the process for updating electoral registers. The House of Commons rejected these amendments, maintaining the existing system with minor adjustments.

Description

The main bill sets the framework for periodic reviews of parliamentary constituency boundaries to ensure fair representation. The House of Lords proposed several amendments, all of which were rejected by the House of Commons. These amendments included:

• Amendment of Review Timing: The Lords sought to extend the time between reviews from 8 to 10 years. The Commons disagreed, maintaining the 8-year cycle.
• Boundary Commission Composition: The Lords proposed changes to the appointment process of Boundary Commission members, aiming to increase independence by shifting appointment power from the Lord Chancellor to the Lord Chief Justice and establishing a selection panel. The Commons rejected this, believing the existing process sufficient. The term of appointed members (excluding the chairman) would become non-renewable.
• Electorate Per Constituency: The Lords proposed adjusting the allowable variation in electorate size between constituencies, slightly widening the acceptable range. The Commons rejected this amendment.
• Improving Electoral Register Completeness: The Lords suggested measures to improve the accuracy and completeness of electoral registers for boundary reviews by potentially requiring the Department for Work and Pensions to provide data to registration officers. The Commons disagreed stating the government had taken sufficient action.

Government Spending

The bill itself doesn't directly specify any changes to government spending. However, implementing the rejected amendments might have incurred costs associated with altered administrative procedures and potentially new staffing for the revised appointment processes.

Groups Affected

The bill primarily affects:

• Voters: The redrawing of constituencies could potentially alter their representation.
• Political Parties: Changes to constituency boundaries could impact electoral results and party representation in Parliament.
• Boundary Commissions: The rejected amendments would have altered their structure and appointment processes.
• Department for Work and Pensions: The rejected amendment regarding electoral register completeness would have required increased data provision from this department.
• Registration Officers: The rejected amendment would have impacted their responsibilities related to electoral register data.

Powered by nyModel