HL Deb 22 June 1990 vol 520 cc1252-3

4.45 p.m.

Viscount Ullswater rose to move, That the draft order laid before the House on 18th April be approved [16th Report from the Joint Committee].

The noble Viscount said: My Lords, the draft Order in Council before your Lordships' House implements revised proposals by the Boundary Commission for England to create from the existing Milton Keynes constituency, together with a small part of the Buckingham constituency, two new constituencies, to be known as Milton Keynes South-West and North-East Milton Keynes respectively.

The commission announced its intention to review constituencies in this area on 13th December 1988 and published proposals on 19th January 1989. Those proposals were to divide Milton Keynes along a north to south axis and to call the new constituencies Milton Keynes, East and Milton Keynes, West. However, those proposals led to a substantial number of representations and the commission was obliged to hold a local inquiry, as is required by Section 6(2) of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986. It is that local inquiry, conducted by an assistant commissioner, which produced the revised proposals now before your Lordships' House.

The order implementing the proposals has been considered by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. It will take effect at the next general election.

No one involved at any stage of the review ever doubted that Milton Keynes needed to be divided in some way so as to produce constituencies having reasonably sized electorates comparable with those elsewhere in England. The only real question was how the division should be made. The revised proposals contained in the draft order recommend a division of the borough of Milton Keynes along an east-west axis. That better reflects local ties and has won substantial local acceptance. Of the mere handful of representations received, only one made any objection to that arrangement.

I therefore invite your Lordships to approve the draft order implementing the commission's proposals. I beg to move.

Moved, That the draft order laid before the House on 18th April be approved [16th Report from the Joint Committee]. —(Viscount Ullswater.)

Lord Graham of Edmonton

My Lords, we on these Benches certainly support the order. My information is that not only from a community point of view, but, more importantly, from a broadly political point of view there has been agreement and understanding that the manner in which the proposals have been made is in the best interests of the broader community. We therefore have no objection to the order

Lord Harris of Greenwich

My Lords, two constituencies are clearly too large. There will now be three. That seems wholly sensible.

Viscount Ullswater

My Lords, I should like to thank both noble Lords for the welcome that they have given to the order.

On Question, Motion agreed to.