Contributions
988 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI have many large leisure facilities in my constituency that could open now—gymnasiums, swimming pools and even an outdoor lido, but they fear that they have been lumped in with…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Fourth sitting)Q Hi Peter. What are the additional problems that are created for electoral registration officers when a constituency goes into two local authority areas that are under the…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q Can I turn to Professor McLean? Do we need more than a calculator to map out our parliamentary boundaries? Professor McLean: I would urge Members not to go down that road. Of…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q My final point would be that, in that case, should we not allow the Boundary Commission more flexibility than the 5%, in order to meet those concerns, where there is a genuine…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q That is true. There are communities within boundaries, but it is important that they are not subdivided, just to satisfy a tight, rigid, mathematical exercise, is it not?…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q That may well be true. Nonetheless, the community has an opportunity to make those representations to the Boundary Commission. Professor Sir John Curtice: There is a certain…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Fourth sitting)Q I was going to come on to that, so you have segued to it nicely. To come within the 5%, or whatever we finish up setting in this piece of legislation, requires either taking a…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q But if those views are diluted because communities are divided up in a mathematical exercise, do people not become frustrated because their collective view, brought about by…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q If a community has a shared experience—perhaps, for instance, the “red wall” seats that people have talked about a lot since the last election—and wants to express a collective…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q Professor Sir John, how much does locality and shared common experience in a community influence how individuals vote? Professor Sir John Curtice: The research on this goes back…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q In order to achieve making sure that communities are kept intact, is it desirable that the Boundary Commission has flexibility and is not kept to a maximum of 5%? Dr Renwick: I…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Third sitting)Q How far should we go in ensuring that whole communities are kept intact when we form a parliamentary constituency boundary, when balanced against trying to achieve equality of…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (Fourth sitting)Q For local administration purposes, would it be better to go to sub-ward level to keep a constituency coterminous within a local authority area than to go across two local…23 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (First sitting)Q Could I add a last bit on the consultation and the issue of flexibility? When you hear the arguments about local ties and suchlike, are there occasions when, perhaps in a…18 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (First sitting)Q Perhaps you could add them to the notes that you are sending us. May I ask about consultation? There was a lot of consultation in my area that seemed to go reasonably well. Then…18 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (First sitting)Q Is what you provided to the Government publicly available? Tony Bellringer: Those are not published, generally.18 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (First sitting)Q Were you consulted on the drafting of the Bill? Tony Bellringer: They did communicate and trial some of the proposals in the Bill with us in advance. They sought our views,…18 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (First sitting)Q Could I ask about your relationship with the Minister’s office when you are carrying out a review? The Minister said in her opening remarks that she was looking forward to…18 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (First sitting)Q I think it is the first time in all these years that I have been on a Committee that you have been chairing, Mr Paisley, so it is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. My…18 Jun 2020HANSARDParliamentary Constituencies bill (First sitting)Q You might not want to comment on this, but would it then make sense to calculate from a high point like that, so that it is perhaps more accurate at the next general election?…18 Jun 2020