§ MR. CROMBIE (Kincardineshire)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he is aware that at present the population of Kincardineshire is 39,846, and the average population of the two seats in the neighbouring borough of Aberdeen is 71,864; and that under the Redistribution scheme it is proposed to take away nearly one fourth part of the population of Kincardineshire and throw it into the borough of Aberdeen, and that the disparity between Kincardineshire and the borough of Aberdeen will thus be increased 50 per cent.; and whether, as the ostensible purpose of the scheme is to reduce the present disparity in the population of Parliamentary constituencies, he will undertake to alter the Resolution accordingly.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not deny that this Bill does not produce equal electoral areas; it does not produce them because it was not destined to produce them.
§ MR. CROMBIEs asked whether this was not a case not only of leaving inequalities which existed, but of magnifying them.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not agree with that inference, nor do I think we can argue the question across the floor of the House; but if the hon. Gentleman asks me for an assurance that cases like this will be considered, my reply is that they will be considered.