PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Constituencies (27 May 2015)

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a reduction in the number of Parliamentary constituencies to 600 would be accompanied by increases to the budgets available to hon. Members for office running costs.

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