Electoral Administration Bill

moved Amendment No. 94:"Page 18, leave out lines 38 and 39 and insert ““1 of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004) is to be divided into two or more separate polling districts.””" The noble Baroness said: Amendment No. 94 is a technical amendment that relates to the dividing of electoral wards in Scotland into polling districts. In new Section 18A(3)(d) of the Representation of the People Act 1983, as inserted by Clause 20, for the purposes of Scotland, electoral ward is defined by reference to Section 5 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The definition of electoral ward in that section is to be repealed and replaced by a definition set out in Section 1 of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. That is due to come into force, as I am sure noble Lords are fully aware, in November 2006. Section 1 of the 2004 Act provides for each local government area in Scotland to be divided into electoral wards and for either three or four councillors to be returned for each ward. Section 1 will in future be the source of the definitional reference that the Electoral Administration Bill requires for electoral wards in Scotland. The amendment, therefore, ensures that we refer to the correct statute. Currently, the Bill specifies that each electoral ward in Scotland should be a separate polling district as the electoral wards under the 2004 Act will be larger than electoral wards at present. The amendment also requires each ward to be divided into at least two polling districts. I hope that noble Lords will be prepared to accept the amendment on that basis. I beg to move.