Parliamentary Constituencies (Northern Ireland) Order 2008

rose to move, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Parliamentary Constituencies (Northern Ireland) Order 2008. The noble Lord said: The purpose of this order is to give effect, without modification, to the recommendations made by the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland, which were received by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in September last year. The report was laid before Parliament on 31 March this year with this order, in line with the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986. The commission’s report recommends that Northern Ireland should retain its 18 constituencies, with modifications recommended to the boundaries of 12 of them. In line with the statutory rules for the redistribution of seats, the recommendations seek to balance improvements in electoral equality with the preservation of community ties. Extensive consultation has been carried out in relation to those recommendations. The commission published its provisional recommendations as long ago as spring 2004. The representations received on those recommendations led the commission to hold three public local inquiries, all of which took place in September 2005. The commission accepted the recommendations of the local inquiries wherever practicable, and, in doing so, acknowledged the importance of preserving community identity. Following on from those local inquiries, the commission published its revised recommendations in May 2006. These recommended that Northern Ireland should have 18 constituencies with revisions made to the boundaries of 12 of them. Those became the commission’s final recommendations to the Secretary of State and he has accepted them without modification. Therefore, subject to Parliament approving the order before us today, the new constituency boundaries will take effect upon the dissolution of Parliament prior to the next general election. I thank the Boundary Commission—that is, the chairman, Mr Speaker; the deputy chairman, Mr Justice Coghlin; his fellow commissioners, Mrs Joan Ruddock and Mr Dick Mackenzie; and their advisers and secretariat—for its work. I am satisfied that the Northern Ireland Parliamentary Boundary Commission has carried out its work thoroughly and that all affected parties have had the opportunity to raise any concerns that they may have had, although they may not always have liked the answers. Having been on the receiving end of Boundary Commission inquiries myself over 27 years, I realise the sensitivities of boundaries for elected Members of Parliament. They probably are the rawest aspect of their role, particularly when their boundaries are being changed by someone else. Nevertheless, we have an independent rule and a set of recommendations from the commission that have been accepted without modification. I commend the order to the Committee and I beg to move. Moved, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Parliamentary Constituencies (Northern Ireland) Order 2008. 17th report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.—(Lord Rooker.)