PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Constituencies (27 May 2015)

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the requirement that the size of constituency electorates should fall within five per cent of the electoral quota, as set out in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, Clause 1 Part 2, Section 11 (2) (1) on the representation of densely-populated urban areas.

Asked by:
Emily Thornberry (Labour)

The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies (PVSC) Act 2011 currently provides for the number of constituencies to be reduced from 650 to 600 and the Government remains committed to equalising the size of constituencies in order to make votes of more equal value, regardless of where in the country voters live.

The Boundary Commissions are currently due to commence work on their next reviews of Parliamentary constituencies in spring 2016 in order to submit final reports by 1 October 2018.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is responsible for the regulation and payment of expenses, including office running costs, to Members of the House of Commons.

Answered by:
John Penrose (Conservative)
3 June 2015