Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many electors there were in Northern Ireland in 1983; what is the total electorate now; and what plans there are to review both the number of constituencies and constituency boundaries.
§ Mr. HanleyThe number of electors on the register of electors published in February 1983 who were eligible to vote at parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland was 1,061,185. The corresponding figure for 1992 was 1,141,466.
The review of the number of boundaries of constituencies in Northern Ireland is a matter for the independent Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland but I understand that the commision is unlikely to announce its next periodical review until the current review of the number, names and boundaries of district councils and the wards into which they are divided is complete.