- Statutory Instrument 2004 No. 1245
The European Parliament (Number of MEPs) (United Kingdom and Gibraltar) Order 2004
© Crown Copyright 2004
Statutory Instruments printed from this website are printed under the superintendence and authority of the Controller of HMSO being the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament.
The legislation contained on this web site is subject to Crown Copyright protection. It may be reproduced free of charge provided that it is reproduced accurately and that the source and copyright status of the material is made evident to users.
It should be noted that the right to reproduce the text of Statutory Instruments does not extend to the Queen's Printer imprints which should be removed from any copies of the Statutory Instrument which are issued or made available to the public. This includes reproduction of the Statutory Instrument on the Internet and on intranet sites. The Royal Arms may be reproduced only where they are an integral part of the original document.
The text of this Internet version of the Statutory Instrument which is published by the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament has been prepared to reflect the text as it was Made. A print version is also available and is published by The Stationery Office Limited as the The European Parliament (Number of MEPs) (United Kingdom and Gibraltar) Order 2004, ISBN 0110492501. The print version may be purchased by clicking here. Braille copies of this Statutory Instrument can also be purchased at the same price as the print edition by contacting TSO Customer Services on 0870 600 5522 or e-mail: customer.services@tso.co.uk.
Further information about the publication of legislation on this website can be found by referring to the Frequently Asked Questions.
To ensure fast access over slow connections, large documents have been segmented into "chunks". Where you see a "continue" button at the bottom of the page of text, this indicates that there is another chunk of text available.
| Made | 27th April 2004 | ||
| Coming into force | 1st May 2004 |
The Secretary of State, after consultation with the Electoral Commission and in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 5(1) of the European Parliament (Representation) Act 2003[1], hereby makes the following Order a draft of which has been laid before and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament:
1. - (1) This Order may be cited as the European Parliament (Number of MEPs) (United Kingdom and Gibraltar) Order 2004.
(2) The purpose of this Order is to implement a change in the number of MEPs to be elected for the United Kingdom under the Athens treaty[2].
(3) This Order shall come into force on 1st May 2004.
(4) In this Order, "the Athens treaty" means the treaty referred to in subsection (2)(q) of section 1 of the European Communities Act 1972[3] (which was ratified by the United Kingdom on 18th December 2003).
2. - (1) Section 1 of the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002[4] is amended as follows.
(2) In subsection (1) (number of MEPs to be elected for the United Kingdom) for "87" substitute "78".
(3) For subsection (3) substitute -
-
"
(3) The number of MEPs to be elected for each electoral region is as follows[5] -
| East Midlands | 6 |
| Eastern | 7 |
| London | 9 |
| North East | 3 |
| North West | 9 |
| South East | 10 |
| South West | 7 |
| West Midlands | 7 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 6 |
| Scotland | 7 |
| Wales | 4 |
| Northern Ireland | 3.". |
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs
Christopher Leslie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs
Date 27th April 2004
(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order provides for the reduction in United Kingdom members of the European Parliament from 87 to 78 following the accession of 10 new member States to the European Community, when the Athens Treaty comes into force on 1st May 2004. It provides for the division of the seats between the electoral regions.
Notes:
[1] 2003 c. 7 as amended by S.I. 2003/1887. Section 5 extends to Gibraltar by virtue of S.I. 2004/700 (C. 30).back
[2] Article 11 of the Act of Accession annexed to the Athens Treaty.back
[3] 1972 c. 68, as amended by section 1(1) of the European Union (Accessions) Act 2003 (c. 35). The text of this treaty is set out in Cm. 5805.back
[4] 2002 c. 24. Section 1 was substituted by section 1, and extended to Gibraltar by section 19, of the European Parliament (Representation) Act 2003 (c. 7). Section 1 and the Table in Schedule 1 (areas included in electoral regions) were also amended by the European Parliamentary Elections (Combined Region and Campaign Expenditure) (United Kingdom and Gibraltar) Order 2004 S.I. 2004/366.back
[5] The distribution of seats between the electoral regions under the substituted section 1(3) follows the recommendation of the Electoral Commission.back
ISBN 0 11 049250 1