§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will place in the Library the Boundaries Commission's proposals for constituencies in England and Wales and Scotland in the event of direct elections to the European Parliament taking place in 1978;
(2) whether it is his policy that the principle of one man one vote of equal value will be applied in the proposed direct elections to the European Assembly in 1978 in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland;
(3) whether it is his intention to fund from public funds any of the electoral expenses of candidates or parties taking part in direct elections for the European Assembly; and if he has received any representation on this matter from the political parties;
(4) what proposals he has for limiting candidates' expenses in the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament;
776W(5) when he expects to reply to the various reports of the Select Committee on Direct Elections;
§ Mr. John Ellisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he anticipates the necessary arrangements can be made for direct elections to the European Parliament by 1978.
§ Mr. JohnThe Government have not yet reached conclusions on these matters but are considering the relevant recommendations of the Select Committee on Direct Elections. My right hon. Friend has received no representations from the political parties on the electoral expenses of candidates for these elections.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the ratio of electors to a member of the Assembly of the EEC as proposed for the direct elections; and what is the comparative figure for other member States of the EEC.
§ Mr. JohnThe precise ratio depends on the number of electors on the registers in force at the time of the elections. Present estimates are as follows (figures to nearest 1,000):
Belgium 276,000 Denmark 220,000 France 410,000 Federal Republic of Germany 538,000 Ireland 138,000 Italy 486,000 Luxembourg 34,000 Netherlands 340,000 United Kingdom 503,000
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what would be the representation of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland if the principle of one man one vote of equal value were applied to the proposed constituencies.
§ Mr. JohnUsing 1976 electorates, the distribution of the 81 United Kingdom seats in the European Assembly on the basis of strict equality of electorate would work out as follows:
England … … 67.41 Scotland … … 7.48 Wales … … 4.07 Northern Ireland … … 2.05
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what 777W discussions he has had with the BBC and IBA concerning the use of radio and television for advancing the policies of political parties in the period preceding direct elections to the EEC.
§ Mr. JohnWe have had no such discussions. The Select Committee on Direct Elections to the European Assembly, in its Third Report last Session, recommended that the implications for broadcasting of direct elections to the European Assembly should be examined through the machinery that already exists for the provision of party political broadcasting in the United Kingdom. This machinery operates through the Committee on Party Political Broadcasting, comprising representatives of the broadcasting organisations and of the main political parties under the chairmanship of my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House. The Government are considering the Select Committee's recommendation.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs to public funds of holding direct elections to the European Assembly; and what is the comparative estimated cost for Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland constituencies.
§ Mr. John Ellisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his calculation of the cost to the British taxpayer of returning directly elected representatives to the European Parliament.
§ Mr. JohnThe cost will depend on the nature of the arrangements decided by Parliament, but is likely to be about £10 million if normal parliamentary election procedures are followed. The costs attributable to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should be roughly proportionate to electorate.