Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

93: Clause 12, page 13, leave out lines 17 to 23 and insert— ““(2) A Boundary Commission may cause a local inquiry to be held for the purposes of a report under this Act where, on publication of a recommendation of a Boundary Commission for the alteration of any constituency, the Commission receive any representation objecting to the proposed recommendation from an interested authority or from a body of electors numbering one hundred or more. (3) However, a Boundary Commission shall not be obliged to hold an inquiry if they believe that any objection received under the terms of subsection (2)— (a) raises no substantive issues that might benefit from further comment or representation from other interested parties or individuals; (b) makes counter proposals which are prima facie out with the stipulations of the Rules for the distribution of seats contained in Schedule 2 to the 1986 Act. (4) A local inquiry held under subsection (2) must be completed within six months of the close of the consultation period referred to in subsection (1) above. (5) Where a local inquiry had been held under subsection (2), a Boundary Commission may, after considering the matters discussed at a local inquiry, the nature of the representations received under subsection (1) and any other relevant circumstances, decide that a further local inquiry is not justified. (6) If a further local inquiry is held, it must be completed within nine months of the close of the original consultation period referred to in subsection (1) above. (7) In subsection (2) above, ““interested authority”” and ““elector”” respectively mean, in relation to any recommendation, a local authority whose area is wholly or partly comprised in the constituencies affected by the recommendation, and a parliamentary elector for any of those constituencies.””””