Key Facts

• Current constituencies are based on electorate data nearly two decades old.
• The amendment in Committee uses the March 2020 register for the boundary review.
• Ynys Môn is now a protected constituency.
• New clause 1 would instruct the Boundary Commission to aim for a 5% deviation from the electoral quota with flexibility up to 7.5%.
• Amendment 1 aims to maintain parliamentary oversight during the boundary review process.
• The Bill aims to maintain the status quo but Smith argues it has blocked boundary reviews in the past.
• If not for parliamentary oversight, there would be a 600-seat Parliament today.
• New clause 1 allows a 7.5% variance from electoral quota to prevent breaking up communities and wards, particularly in rural or ex-industrial areas with challenging geography.
• The current Bill struggles to respect factors such as existing constituencies, local government boundaries, local ties, and geography.
• International best practice recommends a standard permissible tolerance of plus or minus 10%.
• Experts such as David Rosser and Professor Charles Pattie agree that the 5% rule causes significant disruption.
• The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 allowed a 5% variation in constituency sizes.
• Ynys Môn is treated differently from other islands like the Isle of Wight, Orkney and Shetland due to its unique community status.
• Albert Owen previously raised concerns about Ynys Môn's representation.
• The Bill will see Wales lose eight seats and Scotland lose three seats.
• Clause 5 of the Bill reverses the previous law set by the 2011 Act, which cut the number of constituencies from 650 to 600.
• Ynys Môn is now a protected constituency, joining other regions such as Orkney and Shetland and Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
• The Bill aims to ensure everyone has an equal voice in democracy.
• There are significant disparities in constituency sizes; Greater Manchester ranges from 63,000 to 95,000 electors per MP.
• Current electoral quota should be around 72,431 voters but varies widely by region.
• Chris Clarkson does not support new clause 1 due to its undermining of electoral equality.
• New clause 2 is described as unconscionable and could result in significant overpopulation in the House of Commons.
• The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 was introduced under Margaret Thatcher's government, reducing Scotland's number of seats from 73 to 59.
• The Parliamentary Constituencies Bill aims to ensure each vote carries equal weight.
• John Spellar argues for a 7.5% departure from electoral quota as per OSCE guidelines, which recommend no more than 10%, and never 15% except in exceptional circumstances.
• Gareth Johnson is the UK lead on the OSCE.
• The Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, not the OSCE, made a relevant statement.
• Allowing for 7.5% departure from the median would result in a 15 percentage point difference between constituencies.
• Under David Cameron's proposals, Jamie Stone's constituency could have included Shieldaig, increasing driving time to three hours and 15 minutes.
• The Electoral Commission reports over 9 million eligible voters are not registered.
• New Zealand uses census data for determining constituency sizes.
• Groups like young people, renters, non-native English speakers, and BAME communities disproportionately lack representation on the electoral roll.
• The Government agreed to use the March register instead of December's for the review.
• The current constituency boundaries are based on data from 2001-2003.
• West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine's population has increased by 16,000 since 2004.
• Portlethen, Westhill, and Banchory have experienced significant growth.
• The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 aimed to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600.
• Dr Rossiter's research shows that moving from 5% to 8% improves decision-making quality, with diminishing benefits beyond 8%.
• The Boundary Commission highlighted administrative difficulties in breaking up wards and suggested local government areas should be respected.
• The Parliamentary Constituencies Bill ensures 650 Members will serve in this House.
• Cornwall will have six whole constituencies within its boundaries to protect the Cornish people as a national minority.
• Wales may lose up to eight seats initially and further representation in the coming decade due to demographic changes.
• The Bill aims to ensure fair and equal-sized constituencies.
• New clause 1 proposes an up to 15% difference in constituency sizes, which Miller opposes as undermining the Bill's intention.
• Basingstoke has 83,000 people and will likely be divided into multiple constituencies regardless of tolerance levels.
• Virginia Crosbie was elected as MP for Ynys Môn last December.
• Amendment 14 gives Ynys Môn protected status under the Bill, alongside Orkney, Shetland, and the Isle of Wight.
• The amendment enjoyed unanimous support in Committee.
• The Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill secured 18 seats for Northern Ireland in 2018.
• Rule 7 under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 allows a tolerance of 10% for Northern Ireland's boundary commissions.
• A recent judicial review and Court of Appeal judgment struck down Boundary Commission proposals from Northern Ireland.
• The MP expresses support for an independent, judiciary-led commission for boundary changes.
• The current system is described as one where parliament marks its own homework without external oversight.
• The Venice Commission report advises to avoid a 15% threshold except in exceptional circumstances.
• The current boundaries for Dudley South constituency have not been fundamentally altered since before the 1997 general election.
• Many Black Country constituencies are under the quota based on electorates from the early 1990s.
• The MP's daughter is studying the People's Charter of 1838, which includes a campaign for equal-sized constituencies.
• Conservative Members have made arguments based on straw man fallacies.
• Labour accepts the need for boundary changes but criticizes restrictions placed on the Boundary Commission's flexibility.
• A tolerance level of up to 7.5% is proposed in areas where it is necessary to respect natural boundaries and community identities.
• The Parliamentary Constituencies Bill is described as leveling the playing field.
• The MP expresses concerns about past instances of Members voting down judicially decided proposals due to partisan reasons.
• The MP suggests looking into dual registration issues to ensure fairness in future electoral processes.
• The Parliamentary Constituencies Bill is under debate.
• A restrictive electoral quota of 5% variance is a point of contention.
• Wales faces unique geographical challenges like valley areas that should be given special consideration.
• There are concerns about the impact of population shifts over the past 20 years on constituencies in Wales.
• The government accepted calls to scrap plans to cut the number of MPs to 600.
• The numeration date for the boundary review process changed to 2 March 2020.
• There are concerns about removing parliamentary scrutiny and approval from the boundary review process.
• A 5% electoral quota will have a detrimental impact on democratic representation.
• Flexibility must be maintained in boundary reviews to reflect local community identity.
• Polling districts do not have statutory standing compared with wards.
• The community represented is an amalgamation of pit villages, small towns, and little villages.
• Stoke-on-Trent North includes a small number of areas in Staffordshire County Council.
• The MP represents a larger constituency than some colleagues without receiving additional compensation.
• The current law allows for plus or minus 5%, which is equivalent to a 10% range around the electoral quota.
• A 15% range would be proposed if plus or minus 7.5% were adopted, affecting over 1,000 people per percentage point.
• Boundary commissions are able to adjust proposals based on community ties and other factors within the 10% range.
• New clause 1 aims to require the boundary commissions to aim for a 10% range.
• There is concern about potential confusion and legal challenges with new clause 1's proposed changes.
• New clause 2 seeks to fix a minimum number of constituencies, which could enshrine current electoral inequality.
• Chloe Smith acknowledges the goal of having more people registered to vote.
• Online registration takes as little as five minutes, simplifying the process.
• Individual electoral registration has made registers in Great Britain complete and accurate since its introduction.
• Clause 2 provides certainty for the boundary review process without interference or delay.
• The Labour party supports democratic principles of the boundary review.
• Amendment 1 aims to prevent the Government from strengthening its own power at the expense of parliamentary power.
• Smith's amendment seeks to maintain the status quo regarding parliamentary oversight within the boundary review process.
• Cat Smith discusses Labour's stance on the Bill.
• She mentions disappointment with the Government rejecting an amendment for a safety net process involving MPs voting on the final report from the commission.
• The data used to build constituencies is described as being a quarter of a century old.
• Clause 7 of the Bill protects Ynys Môn as a constituency.
• Clause 2, protecting Scotland with 59 constituencies, was not passed and is considered an affront to democracy.
• The speaker calls for the Boundary Commission to have the data needed to support the legislation.