§ Baroness ELLIOT of HARWOODasked Her Majesty's Government:
- (1) how many people in Scotland are members of community councils, district councils and regional councils;
- (2) how many people are expected to be members of the Scottish Assembly;
- (3) how many Scottish MPs there are in the House of Commons; and
- (4) how many Scottish representatives are expected to be elected to the European Parliament.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (Lord Kirkhill)(1) The numbers of members of district, regional and islands councils in Scotland are respectively 1,117, 432 and 75, a total of 1,624. Schemes for community councils have now been approved for all districts in Scotland except the City of Edinburgh. They provide for a maximum total elected membership of 14,656: not all these places have been filled and not all councils have yet been set up. Most community councils have discretion to co-opt additional members.
(2) The formula in Clause 2 of the Scotland Bill would give 147 initial members of the Scottish Assembly on the 1977 electoral list. Subsequent elections to the Assembly will be based on recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, as prescribed in Schedule 1.
(3) 71.
(4) The European Assembly Elections Bill provides for 8 Scottish members to the European Assembly.