European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2010

I thank the Leader of the House for once again laying out and explaining these statutory instruments so clearly. I have absolutely no objection to the canvass because it is a very sensible thing to do; and 2016 seems a sensible backstop, so I support that too. However, I consider the other two instruments to be undemocratic and a sort of gerrymandering with the electoral process. I hear what the noble Baroness has said about what the Government are trying to do, and there is indeed some logic behind it, but that logic is in many ways forced on us by a totally inefficient means of running the whole Northern Ireland process. We have the d’Hondt system and a whole lot of other means and different forms which might be considered strange—I shall not go as far as saying gerrymandering—and where nobody can ever reach agreement on anything. I entirely agree with the noble Baroness about large councils—particularly once we have 11 local authorities, if we ever do, as opposed to 26—never reaching a unanimous agreement on who the replacement should be. If we accept that it will not happen, then it seems absolutely logical that it should be the electorate who decide. If the council cannot decide, then put it out to the voters—that is the right way to go. The second best way is where there is a list system and the electors and community know at least who will replace a person should they, for example, die or become ill. If we leave it as the Government wish—where, if I understand it correctly, the party concerned can go out into the street and say, "Hey, Johnny, I want you to come and join us on the council"—that will not ring the bells of democracy. My party in the other place voted against these orders, and if we were voting today, I would also be bound to do so.