Constituency boundaries: the Sixth General Review in Northern Ireland

The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 made provision for the number of constituencies to be reduced to 600.

The four Parliamentary Boundary Commissions announced the commencement of the sixth general review of Parliamentary constituencies (also known as the 2013 review) on 4 March 2011. The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland announced on the same day that Northern Ireland would have 16 constituencies, a reduction of 2. No constituencies are exempt from the new requirement for constituencies to be within 5% of the electoral quota.

The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland published its initial proposals on 13 September 2011. Revised proposals were published on 16 October 2012. However, following the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 receiving Royal Assent on 31 January 2013, the date of the next boundary review has been postponed until 2018. The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland has therefore ceased working on the 2013 Review.

This Note gives details of the 2013 review in Northern Ireland, its progress and the consultation process. It should be read in conjunction with Library Standard Note 6070, Initial proposals for new constituency boundaries: Northern Ireland which looks at the extent to which the proposed constituencies can be identified with existing seats and which existing constituencies would be most affected by the proposals.