§ 19. Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will bring forward proposals to bring the size of Scottish parliamentary constituencies in line with those in England.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonNo. The Government have, however, announced legislative proposals that will expedite the work of the parliamentary boundary commissions and ensure that their next reports are completed earlier than would otherwise be the case. That will mean that elections need not be fought on out-of-date electorates.
§ Mr. BruceWill my hon. Friend think again because, clearly, a married couple in Glasgow who decided to move to my constituency of South Dorset would find that one of them had effectively lost his or her vote because two voters in my constituency are equivalent to one in Scotland?
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMy hon. Friend may be exaggerating slightly. The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 made it clear that the number of Scottish seats should be not fewer than 71. The purpose of the Bill that the Home Office will bring forward in due course will be to expedite the work of the United Kingdom boundaries commissions. We do not expect any unnecessary delay.