281

House of Commons

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Committee of the whole House

New Amendments handed in are marked thus

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

---

Note

The Amendments have been arranged in accordance with the Programme (No. 2)

Motion to be proposed by the Deputy Prime Minister.

Mr Christopher Chope

63

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  leave out subsection (2) and insert—

‘(2)	The referendum must be held on such day as the Minister may specify by order.

(2A)	An order under subsection (2) may not be made unless—

(a)	a draft of the order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of,

each House of Parliament, and

(b)	the condition in subsection (2B) has been satisfied.

(2B)	The condition is that the Minister has published a draft Bill providing for the

establishment of an elected House of Lords.’.

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil

Jonathan Edwards

Hywel Williams

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

155

Clause  1,  page  1,  leave out line 6 and insert—

‘(2)    

(a)	The Electoral Commission shall within two months of Royal Assent to

this Act specify the date on which the referendum is to be held.

(b)	The specified date must be—

(i)	within 18 months of the date of Royal Assent to this Act, and

(ii)	a date on which no other election to a parliament or assembly in

the United Kingdom is to be held.

(c)	The Minister must lay before Parliament the draft of an Order in Council

to give effect to the specified date.

(d)	The draft of the Order in Council under paragraph (c) above shall not be

laid before Parliament until the specified date has been agreed by the

Committee of the whole House: 12 October 2010

282

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, continued

Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the National

Assembly for Wales.’.

Mr Bernard Jenkin

Mr David Davis

Mrs Eleanor Laing

Mr Edward Leigh

Richard Ottaway

Mr Christopher Chope

Mr William Cash

Sir Stuart Bell

4

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  leave out ‘must be held on 5 May 2011’ and insert—

‘shall be held on a date specified in an order made by the Minister, provided that

such date—

(a)	shall not coincide with any poll or polls held for any parliamentary

assembly or regularly held local government election; and

(b)	shall be at least six months after the commencement of the referendum

period (as specified in Schedule 1).’.

Edward Miliband

Sadiq Khan

Chris Bryant

Mr Peter Hain

126

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  leave out ‘on 5 May 2011’ and insert ‘within 18 months of

Royal Assent on a date that shall not coincide with any poll or polls for any parliamentary

assembly or regularly held local government elections, to be specified by order subject to

the approval of both Houses and following a consulation undertaken by the Electoral

Commission.’.

Thomas Docherty

Fiona O’Donnell

Mark Durkan

Ms Margaret Ritchie

Tom Greatrex

Mr Russell Brown

1

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  leave out ‘5 May 2011’ and insert ‘8 September 2011’.

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil

Caroline Lucas

Jonathan Edwards

2

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  leave out ‘5 May 2011’ and insert—

‘(a)	within 18 months of Royal Assent, and

(b)	on a date on which no other election to Parliament or an assembly in the

United Kingdom is held.’.

Committee of the whole House: 12 October 2010

283

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, continued

Mr Edward Leigh

Mr Brian H. Donohoe

Dr Julian Lewis

Geraint Davies

Mr James Gray

Jacob Rees-Mogg

124

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  leave out ‘5 May’ and insert ‘2 June’.

Graham Stringer

225

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  6,  leave out ‘5 May 2011’ and insert ‘the day of the next

general election’.

Caroline Lucas

Mr Douglas Carswell

Austin Mitchell

7

Clause  1,  page  1,  leave out from line 7 to end of line 4 on page 2 and insert—

‘(3)	The questions that are to appear on the ballot paper are—

“(1)	Do you want to change the current “first past the post” system for electing

Members of Parliament to the House of Commons?

(2)	If there were a change, list your order of preference, 1, 2, 3, for the United

Kingdom to adopt:

(a)	The ‘alternative vote’ system,

(b)	The ‘additional member’ system, or

(c)	The ‘single transferable vote’ system with multi-member

constituencies?”.

(4)	In Wales, a Welsh version of the question is also to appear on the ballot papers.

(5)	The voting for the second question in the referendum shall be in accordance with

section (Counting of votes on second question of referendum).’.

Austin Mitchell

250

Clause  1,  page  1,  leave out from line 7 to end of line 4 on page 2 and insert—

‘(3)	The questions that are to appear on the ballot paper are—

“1. Do you want to change the current ‘first past the post’ system for electing

Members of Parliament to the House of Commons?

2. If there were a change, list your preference 1, 2, 3, 4, for the United Kingdom

to adopt:

(a)	The ‘alternative vote’ system,

(b)	The ‘alternative vote top-up’ system as recommended by the Independent

Commission on the Voting System (the Jenkins Commission),

(c)	The ‘additional member’ system, or

(d)	The ‘single transferable vote’ system with multi-member

constituencies?”.

(4)	In Wales, a Welsh version of the questions is also to appear on the ballot paper.

(5)	The voting for the second question in the referendum shall be in accordance with

section (Counting of votes on second questions of referendum).’.

Committee of the whole House: 12 October 2010

284

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, continued

Mr Roger Godsiff

Fiona Mactaggart

Liz Kendall

Stella Creasy

Sir Peter Soulsby

Stephen Twigg

77

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  7,  after first ‘The’, insert ‘first’.

The Deputy Prime Minister

Mr Graham Allen

Sheila Gilmore

Simon Hart

Tristram Hunt

Mrs Eleanor Laing

230

Clause  1,  page  1,  leave out lines 8 to 11 and insert—

‘At present, the UK uses the “first past the post”
system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should
the “alternative vote” system be used instead?’.

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil

Jonathan Edwards

Hywel Williams

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

140

Clause  1,  page  1,  leave out lines 8 to 11 and insert—

‘Rank your preference for the system for electing members to the House of Commons (a)

Alternative Vote (b) First Past The Post (c) The Single Transferable Vote.’.

Mr Bernard Jenkin

Mrs Eleanor Laing

Mr Christopher Chope

Sir Stuart Bell

Mr Edward Leigh

244

Clause  1,  page  1,  leave out lines 8 to 11 and insert ‘Do you want the United Kingdom

to replace the current system for electing Members of Parliament to the House of

Commons with optional preferential voting with instant runoff?’.

Mr Philip Hollobone

204

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  9,  after ‘vote’, insert ‘plus’.

Mr Bernard Jenkin

Sir Stuart Bell

Mrs Eleanor Laing

Mr Edward Leigh

248

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  10,  leave out ‘“first past the post”’.

Committee of the whole House: 12 October 2010

285

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, continued

Mr Bernard Jenkin

Mrs Eleanor Laing

Mr Christopher Chope

Sir Stuart Bell

Mr Edward Leigh

245

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  12,  leave out from ‘Wales’ to end of line 4 on page 2 and

insert ‘a translation of the question in subsection (3), prepared by the Electoral

Commission, is also to appear on the ballot papers.’.

The Deputy Prime Minister

Mr Graham Allen

Sheila Gilmore

Simon Hart

Tristram Hunt

Mrs Eleanor Laing

231

Clause  1,  page  2,  leave out lines 1 to 4 and insert—

‘Ar hyn o bryd, mae’r DU yn defnyddio’r system “y
cyntaf i’r felin” i ethol ASau i Dy’r Cyffredin. A ddylid
defnyddio’r system “pleidlais amgen” yn lle hynny?’.

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil

Jonathan Edwards

Hywel Williams

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

141

Clause  1,  page  2,  leave out lines 1 to 4 and insert—

‘Graddiwch pa gyfundrefn o ethol aelodau i Ty’r Cyffredin sydd well gennych chi. (a)

Pleidlais Amgen (b) Cyntaf i’r Felin (c) Pleidlais Sengl Drosglwyddadwy.’.

Mr Philip Hollobone

205

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  2,  after ‘amgen’, insert ‘plws’.

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil

Jonathan Edwards

Hywel Williams

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

142

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  4,  at end insert—

‘(4)	In Scotland, the following Gaelic version of the question is also on ballot

papers—

Rangaich do roghainn a thaobh an t-siostaim taghaidh buill gu Taigh nan

Cumantan?(a) Bhòt Eadar-roghnach (b) A’Chiad Bhuannaiche (c) Bhòt

Mhalairteach Shingilte

.’.

Committee of the whole House: 12 October 2010

286

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, continued

Mr Roger Godsiff

Fiona Mactaggart

78

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  4,  at end insert—

‘(4A)

The second question that is to appear on the ballot papers is—

  Do you want the United Kingdom to make it mandatory, for any general

election of Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, for all

persons whose names appear on the electoral register either to attend a

polling station and be handed a ballot paper on election day, or to

request that a ballot paper be received through the post?

(4B)	In Wales, a Welsh version of the second question is also to appear on the ballot

papers.’.

Liz Kendall

Stella Creasy

Sir Peter Soulsby

Stephen Twigg

Kate Green

118

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  4,  at end insert—

‘(4A)

The second question that is to appear on the ballot papers is—

Do you want to elect Members of the House of Lords using the “single

transferable vote” system instead of the current system of appointment?

(4B)	In Wales, a Welsh version of the second question is also to appear on the ballot

papers.’.

Mr Bernard Jenkin               

Mr David Davis

Mrs Eleanor Laing

Mr Edward Leigh

Mr Christopher Chope

Mr William Cash

Sir Stuart Bell

5

Schedule  1,  page  14,  line  7,  leave out ‘day on which this Act is passed’ and insert

‘relevant date’.

Mr Bernard Jenkin

Mr David Davis

Mrs Eleanor Laing

Mr Edward Leigh

Mr Christopher Chope

Mr William Cash

Sir Stuart Bell

6

Schedule  1,  page  14,  line  8,  at end insert—

‘1A(1)

For the purposes of paragraph 1(a) above the “relevant date” is a date specified

in an order made by the Minister, after consultation to be held after Royal

Assent to this Act with the Electoral Commission as to an appropriate period

for the fair conduct of the referendum.

Committee of the whole House: 12 October 2010

287

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, continued

(2)	If in the opinion of the Electoral Commission the date on which Royal Assent

is given to this Act would mean that there would be an insufficient period for

the fair conduct of the referendum if it were held on the date otherwise required

by section 1, the Minister may by order specify such later date on which the

referendum shall be held as the Electoral Commission shall approve.’.

The Deputy Prime Minister

261

Schedule  1,  page  14,  line  8,  at end insert—

‘Counting officers

1A  (3)

The counting officer for a voting area that is—

(a)	a district in England,

(b)	a county in England, or

(c)	a London borough,

is the person who, by virtue of section 35 of the 1983 Act, is the returning

officer for elections of councillors of the district, county or borough.

(4)	The counting officer for the City of London voting area is the person who, by

virtue of that section, is the returning officer for elections of councillors of the

London borough of Westminster.

(5)	The counting officer for the Isles of Scilly voting area is the person who, by

virtue of that section, is the returning officer for elections to the Council of the

Isles of Scilly.

(6)	The counting officer for a voting area in Wales is the person who, by virtue of

provision made under section 13(1)(a) of the Government of Wales Act 2006,

is the returning officer for elections of members of the National Assembly for

Wales for the constituency that forms the voting area.

(7)	The counting officer for a voting area in Scotland is the person who, by virtue

of provision made under section 12(1)(a) of the Scotland Act 1998, is the

returning officer for elections of members of the Scottish Parliament for the

constituency that forms the voting area.

(8)	The counting officer for the Northern Ireland voting area is the Chief Electoral

Officer for Northern Ireland.’.

The Deputy Prime Minister

262

Schedule  1,  page  14,  line  28,  leave out sub-paragraphs (3) to (5) and insert—

‘Assistance to counting officers etc

2A  (1)

A local authority whose area forms, or forms part of, a particular voting area

must place the services of their officers at the disposal of—

(a)	the counting officer for the voting area, and

(b)	the Regional Counting Officer (if any) appointed for the region that

includes the voting area,

for the purpose of assisting the officer in the discharge of his or her functions.

(2)	In this paragraph “the local authority”—

(a)	in the case of a voting area that is a district or county in England, or a

London borough, means the council for that district, county or

borough;

(b)	in the case of the City of London voting area, means the Common

Council of the City of London;

---

Revised 12 October 2010