§ Captain Orrasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many alterations were made to the proposals for the draft Electoral Law Order before it was finally laid; and on whose suggestions the alterations were made.
§ Mr. David HowellThe draft Electoral Law (Northern Ireland) Order, 1972, is based on the Electoral Law Bill (Northern Ireland), 1972, and contains seven amendments to that Bill. Of these, four—in Articles 6(1), 7(7), 15 and 17—were minor amendments consequential upon the translation of the Bill into a draft Order in Council, while three—Articles 4, 14 and Schedule 1—arose from the Government's decision that the 1972 local elections in Northern Ireland should be held under a system of proportional representation.