§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the enlargement of the European Union will result in a reduction in the numbers of the European Parliament elected in 2004, and, if so, by how many seats; what criteria will be used to decide in which constituencies the reductions will occur; and when announcement on the matter will be made. [HL1306]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Baroness Scotland of Asthal)The Treaty of Nice (to which the UK Government are a signatory) provides that, following the accession of all 12 candidate states, the UK be entitled to 72 MEPs—an overall reduction of 15 M EPs. The treaty also provides for an interim reduction in the number of MEPs for the 2004 elections if not all candidate states accede in time. The European Parliament (Representation) Bill, currently passing through Parliament, provides for the Lord Chancellor to ask the Electoral Commission to make recommendations about the redistribution of MEPs once the number is known. The Bill sets out (in Clause 2) the criteria for calculating the redistribution—no region shall have fewer than three MEPs and otherwise the ratio of electors to MEPs shall be, as nearly as possible, the same in each region. The Electoral Commission's recommendations will be implemented by statutory instrument. The timing of any implementation will depend on the progress of the accession of candidate states.