FAQs - Scottish Parliament Reviews

What is the process for reviewing Scottish Parliament boundaries?
The process that we follow is largely defined by the law: the legislation governing our work is available on this website. The process can be summarised as:

we develop Provisional Proposals;
we publish our proposals for 1 month of public consultation;
we consider all responses received during the consultation, hold local inquiries and produce Revised Recommendations as necessary;
we publish any Revised Recommendations for 1 month of public consultation;
we consider any further responses received during the consultation and produce Further Recommendations as necessary;
we publish any Further Recommendations for public consultation; and
we submit our report to the Secretary of State for Scotland.

As part of each review we produce a booklet explaining the process, which is available from us or from this website.

What determines if a local inquiry is held?
A local inquiry is held depending on the comments received during a consultation. The law requires that, if a large number of objections are received, or if a local authority objects, then a local inquiry must be held. We can also decide that there should be a local inquiry even if those criteria are not met. We arrange for a Sheriff Principal to chair any local inquiry and report on it.

What are the rules for designing Scottish Parliament constituencies?
The rules include the aim to produce constituencies whose electorate is as close to the average as practical, and the need to take account of local authority boundaries, special geographical considerations, and of inconveniences and any local ties which would be broken by changes to constituencies.

How do I find out what is going on?
We publish information about our work on our website through the News and Reviews in Progress sections, and on Facebook. At key stages of any review, we issue News Releases to newspapers and broadcasters, and place public notices in newspapers. At the public consultation stages of reviews, we make maps and other information about our proposals available for inspection at locations such as public libraries and council offices.

Can I have a say?
Yes. The public consultation process is designed to allow everyone to express their view for or against our proposals. You can do this by letter or email, using our contact details given on this website. During consultation periods, we have a response form on this website. You can express your views in person at local inquiries. Views in support of our proposals are as important as those against.