Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many objectors gave evidence at hearings arranged by the Boundary Commission for England and Wales during their recent parliamentary boundaries review.
§ Mr. MayhewI understand from the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England and Wales that the information could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average number per constituency of written and oral objections lodged with the Boundary Commission for England and Wales following the publication of its initial proposals in the recent parliamentary boundaries review.
§ Mr. MayhewI understand from the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England and Wales that the information could be provided in the form requested only at disproportionate cost. The English Commission received some 8,000, and the Welsh Commission some 650, written representations—not all of them objections—during their third periodical reviews of parliamentary constituencies. These figures give averages of 15.29 written representations per constituency in England and 17.10 in Wales.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeal hearings were held 325W by commissioners or assistant commissioners on behalf of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England and Wales prior to publishing its recent reports.
§ Mr. MayhewThe number of local inquiries held on behalf of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England and Wales during their third periodical reviews of parliamentary constituencies was 95 and seven respectively.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs have been incurred since the previous boundaries revision by the Boundary Commission for England and Wales in preparing its recent parliamentary boundaries reports in respect of (a) salaries and fees, (b) other administrative costs and (c) appeals including legal costs.
§ Mr. MayhewI understand from the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England and Wales that the information cannot be made available in the form requested without incurring disproportionate cost. The information available—which includes costs incurred in reporting in 1978 on European Parliament constituencies —is as follows:
Salaries Other Expenditure Total £ (cash) £ (cash) £ (cash) 1974–75 9,160 — 9,160 1975–76 30,473 52 30,525 1976–77 39,178 4,418 43,596 1977–78 50,679 9,060 59,739 1978–79 52,280 168,990 221,270 1979–80 71,519 36,487 108,006 1980–81 142,816 99,552 242,368 1981–82 138,802 151,839 290,641 1982–83 144,423 146,055 290,478 679,330 616,453 1,295,783
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been employed (a) on a full-time basis and (b) on a part-time basis by the Boundary Commission for England and Wales during the period of the recent parliamentary boundaries review.
§ Mr. MayhewThe information requested is as follows:
Full time Part time 1 April 1974 — 4 1 April 1975 3 2 1 April 1976 6 2 1 April 1977 6 2 *1 April 1978 6 2 1 April 1979 8 1 1 April 1980 11 1 1 April 1981 15 1 1 April 1982 17 — 1 April 1983 7 2 * Staff also worked on European Parliament constituencies.