Key Facts

• Maria Miller raised a point of order regarding seating arrangements during a Committee meeting.
• Professor Robert Hazell and Dr Alan Renwick from University College London were providing virtual testimony via audio only.
• Previous boundary reviews in 2013 and 2018 were blocked.
• Current electoral registers are up to 20 years old.
• The Venice Commission recommends a maximum deviation from perfect equality of 10%.
• The current proposal allows for a 5% deviation from average constituency size.
• New Zealand permits a 5% deviation, while Australia allows up to 10% deviation if necessary.
• Scotland's Boundary Commission is more willing to split wards compared to England's.
• The Green party supports changing the number of MPs to 650.
• The electoral register data moves back to March 2020.
• Future constituency reviews are set every eight years.
• Williams has concerns about a 5% tolerance limit and suggests a possible 7.5% variance in extreme cases.
• The deadline for future reports is currently set at October 1st before an election.
• Chris Williams argues that protecting constituencies like Ynys Môn would make Wales feel treated equally with England and Scotland.
• Wales is expected to lose about 20% of its MPs under the current proposal.
• Professor Iain McLean introduced himself as a professor of politics at Oxford University who has worked on boundary inquiries for decades.
• Electoral registration data has inadequacies that have increased over time.
• Only 85% of eligible voters are on the register and about 11% of entries relate to people who should not be registered at their current address.
• The Bill does not change the rules for redistribution established in the 2011 Act.
• The wrong Bill was mistakenly placed in the Committee Room.
• The incorrect Bill is the Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill introduced by a private member.
• The correct Bill being discussed is the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill.
• Professor Sir John Curtice notes that individual registration does not fundamentally change the character of electoral inaccuracies.
• Cat Smith suggests combining other sources of information, such as DWP data, to improve the accuracy of the electoral roll for boundary drawing purposes.
• Professor McLean distinguishes between proportional representation and the 5% tolerance in constituency equality.
• The presumption against disturbing existing constituencies is no longer sustainable due to population movements since 2000.
• Professor McLean suggests a plus or minus 5% deviation from the target electorate should be acceptable for boundary commissions.
• Scottish local government wards are larger and more complex than those in England, allowing for better geographic detail.
• Current arrangements for parliamentary oversight make it difficult for the House of Commons to change details of provisions.
• The next boundary revision will involve 650 seats instead of the previous plan for 600 seats.
• Boundaries are currently 20 years out of date due to Parliament blocking past redistributions.
• Parliamentary boundaries are currently 20 years out of date.
• The redistribution will be disruptive.
• Local government boundary commissions can consider anticipated housing developments.
• There were proposals for reducing the size of the House of Commons from 600 seats to 650.
• Previous attempts to reduce the number of MPs faced challenges due to political disagreements and parliamentary intervention.
• The Bill aims to make it more difficult for Parliament to overturn boundary reviews but does not completely eliminate this possibility.
• Scotland may lose three seats in a 650 Parliament.
• Current disparities in electorate size between constituencies represented by different parties are smaller than before due to recent electoral changes.
• The standard deviation of constituency size is increasing over time.
• The Parliamentary Constituencies Bill does not give detailed instructions to boundary commissions.
• Professors McLean and Curtice trust the boundary commissioners more than the House of Commons regarding political neutrality.
• The next review under the current system is set to end in July 2023 instead of October 2023.