HC Deb 02 February 1978 vol 943 cc665-6
1. Mr. Madel

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Parliamentary Boundary Commission to publish all its first proposals for altered parliamentary seats in England; and if he will make a statement.

The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. Brynmor John)

It seems likely that the English Commission will publish the last of its provisional recommendations in the course of 1979. The final recommendations will be published together when all the reviews in England are complete.

Mr. Madel

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the Boundary Commission should make two alterations to the way in which it works? First, boundaries should be altered on the basis of the planned rise in population rather than the size of the electoral register, which is often two or three years out of date, and, secondly, we should change boundaries when English constituencies shoot above 70,000 electors rather than wait for 10 years, when the whole thing is done en bloc. Is he aware that in eastern England there are constituencies with well over 70,000 or 80,000 electors, while in Greater London there are some constituencies with well under 50,000 electors? Will he—

Mr. Speaker

Order. May I appeal to the hon. Member not to make out a case, but to ask a question?

Mr. Madel

Will the Minister of State agree to instruct the Commission to do these two things?

Mr. John

If I may make a brief intervention in that speech—boundaries cannot be changed in a higgledy-piggledy way and Ministers have no power to instruct the Commission. On the hon. Gentleman's suggestion about the projected rise in population, it might be dangerous to act in the way that he suggests, because, on the evidence that I have seen from reports in the local government sector, projected rises in population up to between 1976 and 1980 have been erroneous in a number of cases.

Sir David Renton

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the electorate of Huntingdonshire has increased from 39,000 to 93,000 since I became its Member? What is he going to do about it? Is he aware that the local government reorganisation affecting Cambridgeshire and neighbouring counties has for a long time called for a Parliamentary Boundary Commission?

Mr. John

The Commission is in existence and is carrying out county reviews. As to the other matter about which the right hon, and learned Gentleman is concerned, he seems, single-handed, to have increased the population in his constituency. He asks what I am going to do about it. All I can say is that I am not a surgeon.