My noble friend Lord Bowness intervened and asked the Minister how she saw the establishment of regional chambers. The noble Baroness, Lady Farrington of Ribbleton, replied at col. Column 440 Schedule 1 boundaries for the purposes of the jurisdictions of the proposed regional assemblies. A simple ward within a borough council has its boundaries fixed by a local government boundary commission. The borough councils have their boundaries fixed by the local government boundary commission.
Parliamentary constituencies have their boundaries fixed by the parliamentary boundary commission.
The Government propose to create a major, unique and entirely novel series of local government units. I still await to be told what local ties there are between Southampton and Oxford. They are in the same administrative region for the purposes of the Bill but certainly have no place being lumped together in one regional assembly. Amendment No. 1 to Clause 1 is also intended to limit the Schedule 1 boundaries to this Act unless Parliament decides otherwise. I have given the Minister three answers.