2(1)Section 3 (reports of the Commissions) shall be amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (1), for the words from “Each Boundary Commission” to “the whole of that part” there shall be substituted “The Electoral Commission shall keep under review the representation in the House of Commons of each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and shall, in accordance with subsection (2) below, submit to the Secretary of State separate reports with respect to the whole of each of those parts”.
(3)For subsection (2) there shall be substituted—
“(2)Reports under subsection (1) with respect to a particular part of the United Kingdom shall be submitted by the Electoral Commission not less than eight nor more than twelve years from the date of the last report under that subsection with respect to that part of the United Kingdom.”
(4)In subsection (2A), for “a Boundary Commission” there shall be substituted “the Electoral Commission”.
(5)In subsection (3)—
(a)for “Any Boundary Commission” there shall be substituted “The Electoral Commission”; and
(b)for “the part of the United Kingdom with which they are concerned” there shall be substituted “any part of the United Kingdom”.
(6)In subsection (4), for “a Boundary Commission” there shall be substituted “the Electoral Commission”.
(7)For subsection (5) there shall be substituted—
“(5)As soon as practicable after the Electoral Commission have submitted a report to the Secretary of State under this Act, he shall lay before Parliament—
(a)the report; and
(b)(except where the report states that no alteration is required to be made in respect of the part of the United Kingdom to which it relates) the draft of an Order in Council for giving effect to the recommendations contained in the report.”
(8)In subsection (7)—
(a)for “a Boundary Commission under subsection (1) above” there shall be substituted “the Electoral Commission under subsection (1) above with respect to a particular part of the United Kingdom”;
(b)for “of the Commission under subsection (1) above” there shall be substituted “under subsection (1) above with respect to that part of the United Kingdom”; and
(c)for “a Boundary Commission publishing” there shall be substituted “a Boundary Committee publishing under section 5 below”.
(9)For the sidenote for section 3 there shall be substituted “Reports of the Electoral Commission.”
(10)In section 3(2) and (7), as amended by this paragraph, any reference to a previous report under section 3(1) with respect to a particular part of the United Kingdom includes a reference to such a report which, at any time before the coming into force of this paragraph in relation to that part, was made with respect to that part by one of the Boundary Commissions constituted under the Act.