Parliament: MP Numbers and Constituency Review Debate
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Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
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Parliament: MP Numbers and Constituency Review
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Excerpts(14 years, 6 months ago)
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Lord McNally
These proposals will strengthen local democracy and enhance the whole quality and culture of our democracy by giving fairer votes and votes of more equal weight.
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
My Lords, I congratulate the coalition Government on their plan to reduce the size of the other place in order to achieve economies, but will the Minister explain why they propose at the same time greatly to enlarge the size of this House at considerable cost, and in doing so, as he himself has pointed out, perhaps bring this House into some disrepute in the country?
Lord McNally
My Lords, I could not agree more with my noble friend. If he comes to the debate next week, as I am sure he will, he will hear my noble friend Lord Strathclyde and me speaking at an appropriate length about how we think the numbers and the costs of this House could be radically reduced.