Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been employed (a) on a full-time basis and (b) on a part-time basis by the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland during the period of the recent parliamentary boundaries review.
§ Mr. John PattenFour people were employed on a part-time basis for different terms during the period of the review. In addition, two assistant commissioners were appointed to hold local inquiries and two shorthand writers were employed during the course of those inquiries.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many objectors gave evidence at hearings arranged by the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland during their recent parliamentary boundaries review;
(2) how many appeal hearings were held by commissioners or assistant commissioners on behalf of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland prior to publishing their recent reports.
§ Mr. John PattenIn view of the decision to create a wholly new set of constituencies for Northern Ireland, the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland decided to arrange for as many local inquiries as were necessary to ensure that its proposed scheme for new constituencies would be open to detailed scrutiny by interested parties. Accordingly, two assistant commissioners were appointed to hold four local inquiries covering all the proposed new constituencies. The following table shows the constituencies covered by each inquiry and the number of objectors who gave evidence at each.
429W
Group Proposed Constituencies Number of Objectors 1 Loughside, Strangford, South Down, Lagan Valley, Upper Bann, Newry & Armagh 12 2 North Antrim, East Antrim, South Antrim 4 3 Fermanagh & South Tyrone, Mid-Ulster, Foyle, East Londonderry 6 4 Belfast North, Belfast West, Belfast South, Belfast East 4
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average number per constituency of written and oral objections lodged with the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland following the publication of their initial proposals in the recent parliamentary boundaries review.
§ Mr. John PattenFollowing the publication of the commission's provisional recommendations on 8 January 1980, written representations were received from 39 organisations and individuals. This figure includes one organisation which initially made oral representations but subsequently made a written submission. To give an average number of representations per constituency would not be meaningful, because some representations related to several or all of the 17 constituencies.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what costs have been incurred since the previous boundaries revision by the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland in preparing their recent 430W parliamentary boundaries report in respect of (a) salaries and fees, (b) other administrative costs and (c) appeals including legal costs.
§ Mr. John PattenThe information is as follows:
Financial Year (a) Salaries and Fees* (b) Other administrative costs £ £ 1975–76 9.80 146.50 1976–77 3,112.66 111.26 1977–78 2,293.83 — 1978–79 3,857.32 — 1979–80 2,459.99 1,558.04 1980–81 8,973.72 2,944.96 1981–82 1,314.54 3,081.90 1982–83 94.12 7,726.69 Total 22,115.98 15,569.35 * Includes fees paid to assistant commissioners appointed to conduct the four local inquiries; travelling expenses; and payments to shorthand writers. No specific legal costs were incurred. The costs of local inquiries were reflected in the figures at (a) and (b).