Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000

5 For section 5 there shall be substituted—

“5 Notices relating to proposed reports or recommendations

(1) Where the Electoral Commission intend to consider making a report under this Act, they shall inform the Secretary of State accordingly by notice in writing; and a copy of the notice shall be published—

(a) in the London Gazette, if the report would be with respect to England or Wales (or an area comprised therein);

(b) in the Edinburgh Gazette, if the report would be with respect to Scotland (or an area comprised therein); and

(c) in the Belfast Gazette, if the report would be with respect to Northern Ireland (or an area comprised therein).

(2) Where a Boundary Committee have provisionally determined proposed recommendations affecting any constituency which they are minded to include in a report under section 3A(2) above, they shall publish in at least one newspaper circulating in the constituency a notice stating—

(a) the effect of the proposed recommendations and (except where their effect is that no alteration should be made in respect of the constituency) that a copy of the recommendations is open to inspection at a specified place in the constituency; and

(b) that representations with respect to the proposed recommendations may be made to the Boundary Committee within one month after publication of the notice;

and the Boundary Committee shall take into consideration any representations duly made in accordance with any such notice.

(3) Where a Boundary Committee revise any proposed recommendations after publishing a notice of them under subsection (2) above, the Committee shall comply again with that subsection in relation to the revised recommendations, as if no earlier notice had been published.

(4) Where the Electoral Commission are minded to exercise in relation to a Boundary Committee’s proposed recommendations any of the powers conferred by section 3A(3)(b) or (c) above, they shall have regard to—

(a) any representations duly made with respect to the recommendations in accordance with a notice published under subsection (2) above; or

(b) (where they are minded to exercise any of those powers in relation to part only of the area subject to the Committee’s review) any representations so made with respect to the recommendations so far as relating to that part of that area.

(5) Where a Boundary Committee’s proposed recommendations affecting any constituency have been modified by the Electoral Commission under section 3A(3)(b) above, the Boundary Committee shall publish in at least one newspaper circulating in the constituency a notice stating the effect of those recommendations as so modified.”