Clause 2 - Recommendations by Electoral Commission relating to changes in number ofUnited Kingdom MEPs
European Parliament (Representation) Bill
11:15 am
Ms Yvette Cooper (Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department; Pontefract and Castleford, Labour)
The amendments raise the minimum threshold for representation in any region to four MEPs, except for Northern Ireland which would have a minimum threshold of three.
The hon. Gentleman made an interesting speech, to which I listened carefully. Clearly there are pros and cons to any system. Any minimum threshold has an impact on electoral equality. If regions are raised to a threshold which, on electoral mathematics, they might have fallen below, constituents in that region will be over-represented and constituents in other regions under-represented. On the other hand, in a proportional system with no minimum threshold, it is, as the hon. Gentleman said, possible for small regions to find that their results become less proportionate. Those are trade-offs that must be balanced against one another. We have struck a balance to ensure that we keep the broad
proportionality and also maintain justifiable electoral equality across the regions.
It is also important to ensure that we treat regions similarly, instead of treating Northern Ireland differently. The hon. Gentleman argued that Northern Ireland should be treated separately because of the accounting method. I undertake to look further at that point, because I had not
considered the implications in full. However, I am not minded to accept the amendments based on what he said, because we must maintain electoral equality and allow the Electoral Commission—
It being twenty-five minutes past Eleven o'clock, The Chairman adjourned the Committee without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.
Adjourned till this day at half-past Two o'clock.