Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011

10 Boundary Commissions: reports etc

(1) In the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (“the 1986 Act”) section 3 (reports of the Boundary Commissions) is amended as set out in subsections (2) to (7).

(2) In subsection (1)—

(a) in paragraph (a), for “paragraphs 1 to 6 of Schedule 2 to this Act (read with paragraph 7 of that Schedule)” there is substituted “Schedule 2 to this Act”;

(b) in paragraph (b), the words “(read with paragraph 7)” are repealed.

(3) For subsection (2) there is substituted—

“(2) A Boundary Commission shall submit reports under subsection (1) above periodically—

(a) before 1st October 2013, and

(b) before 1st October of every fifth year after that.”

(4) After subsection (2A) there is inserted—

“(2B) In relation to any report which a Boundary Commission are required by subsection (2) above to submit before a particular date but have not yet submitted (a “pending boundary report”), the Commission shall submit to the Speaker of the House of Commons—

(a) during the January that begins one year and nine months before that date, and

(b) during each subsequent January,

a report setting out what progress they have made with the preparation of the pending boundary report, with particular reference to the requirement in subsection (2) above.

(2C) On receiving a report under subsection (2B) above, the Speaker shall lay it before Parliament.”

(5) Subsection (3) is repealed.

(6) For subsection (5) there is substituted—

“(5) As soon as may be after the submission of a report under subsection (1) above, the Secretary of State shall lay the report before Parliament.

(5A) As soon as may be after the submission of all four reports under subsection (1) above that are required by subsection (2) above to be submitted before a particular date, the Secretary of State shall lay before Parliament the draft of an Order in Council for giving effect to the recommendations contained in them.

(5B) Where—

(a) a Boundary Commission have submitted a report under subsection (1) above (but no draft under subsection (5A) above has yet been laid in relation to the report),

(b) the Commission notify the Secretary of State that the recommendations contained in the report are to have effect with specified modifications, and

(c) the Commission submit to the Secretary of State a statement of the reasons for those modifications,

the draft under subsection (5A) above shall give effect to the recommendations with those modifications.

(5C) Subsections (5A) and (5B) above do not apply where each of the reports mentioned in subsection (5) above states that no alteration is required to be made in respect of the part of the United Kingdom with which the Commission in question are concerned.”

(7) Subsections (7) and (8) are repealed.

(8) In section 4(2) of the 1986 Act (Orders in Council), for “a statement” there is substituted “the statement submitted under section 3(5B)(c) above”.

(9) In Schedule 1 to the 1986 Act (the Boundary Commissions), in paragraph 5(d) (assessor officers of the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland)—

(a) for “and the” there is substituted “, the”;

(b) at the end there is inserted “and the Chief Survey Officer of Land and Property Services”.

(10) In paragraph 6 of that Schedule (assistant Commissioners)—

(a) in sub-paragraph (1), for the words after “assistant Commissioners” there is substituted “to assist the Commission in the discharge of their functions.”;

(b) in sub-paragraph (2), for “inquiry” there is substituted “matter”.

(11) In Article 3 of the Lord President of the Council Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1837) (which makes certain functions of the Secretary of State exercisable concurrently with the Lord President) the reference in paragraph (1) to the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 is to be read as a reference to that Act as amended by this section.