Publications

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires all non-departmental public bodies to establish and maintain a publication scheme. The scheme provides a guide to the information that public authorities routinely publish or intend to publish.

The role of the Boundary Commission is to keep under continuous review the number, names and boundaries of the Parliamentary constituencies into which Northern Ireland is divided and to make recommendations to the Secretary of State. The Commission are a non-departmental public body established by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 as amended by the Boundary Commissions Act 1992. The 1986 Act also lays down the procedures to be followed by the Commission when formulating their recommendations.

The Commission are required to conduct a General Review of all constituencies every 8 to 12 years. The Commission last reported in 2007 and must therefore report again no later than 2019.

The Speaker of the House of Commons is the Chairman of the Commission. There are three other members of the Commission. The Deputy Chairman who presides over the Commission's meetings is a judge of the High Court appointed by the Lord Chief Justice for Northern Ireland. The two other members of the Commission are appointed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. In addition, the Commission have as Assessors the Registrar General in Northern Ireland, the Commissioner of Valuation for Northern Ireland and the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland. The Commission presently comprises:

Periodical and interim review reports made to the Secretary of State are subject to Crown copyright.

The last such Report Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Fifth Periodical Report on Parliamentary Constituencies (Cm 7321, March 2008) may be reproduced for personal or in-house use without formal permission.

Reproduction for sale or other commercial purposes is not permitted but for other use or if in doubt consult:

Maps used in Commission documents are reproduced from a digital database. Their reproduction in whole or in part requires the prior permission of Land & Property Services. Unauthorised reproduction will also infringe Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Any person wishing to reproduce maps should contact Land & Property Services.

Material explaining the role, purpose, practice and procedures of the Commission are published at the outset of reviews. Other material is prepared and made available as soon as practicable commensurate with the progress of the Review and include:

Explanatory Note containing a guide to the role, policy, practice and procedures of the Commission

Provisional, and where appropriate, Revised and Modified Recommendations

Statement of Reasons for Provisional, and where appropriate, Revised and Modified Recommendations

Statement on the Purpose and Conduct of Local Inquiries

Representations where Local Inquiries are held

Reports of assistant Commissioners appointed to conduct public Local Inquiries and the transcript of their proceedings

Press Releases affecting the progress of the Review

The Commission may decide to prepare and publish other material during the conduct of their Review wherever this is felt appropriate and conducive to it. Information not disclosed by the Commission and exempted by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 include matters affecting national security, confidentiality, unwarranted invasion of privacy and commercial sensitivity.

The Commission also submit to the Secretary of State and publish annual reports of their activities.

Documents may be obtained from the Commission or by access to the internet website of the Commission. Contact details for the Commission are:

Single copies of Commission publications are available free of charge. The Commission may, however, wish to recover administrative and postage costs where requests are made for multiple copies or for a number of publications.

Inquiries or complaints about the availability or access to information should be addressed to the Secretary to the Commission.

Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Belfast
August 2008