Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, Liberal Democrat peer, was on his feet in the House of Lords yesterday.
He asked, “what would be the estimated additional cost of holding a referendum on whether the Isle of Wight should remain as a single constituency, using the same polling stations and same polling hours on the same day as any referendum on the Alternative Vote.”
Lord McNally, Minister of State, Justice, a fellow Liberal Democrat, gave the estimated cost at approximately £153,000.
He added,
“There has never been a referendum on how parliamentary boundaries should be drawn, and the Government do not agree that such a referendum would be justified. The legislation setting the rules for the drawing of parliamentary seats will be debated and voted on in Parliament, in the same way that all previous Acts concerning boundary provisions have been.”
