European Parliament (Representation) Act 2003
Encyclopedia
The European Parliament Act 2003 (c.7) is an Act
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. The long title
is "An Act to make provision enabling alterations to be made to the total number of Members of the European Parliament to be elected for the United Kingdom and to their distribution between the electoral regions; to make provision for and in connection with the establishment of an electoral region including Gibraltar for the purposes of European Parliamentary elections; and for connected purposes."
The Act made provision for a reduction in the number of Members of the European Parliament who represent the United Kingdom
(see Treaty of Nice
). Gibraltar
was enfranchised by adding it to the South West England
constituency after taking the British Government to the European Court of Justice
.
The number of seats each region was allocated is as follows:
The addition of Gibraltar to the English constituency gave rise to some problems concerning the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales
and the Courts of Gibraltar
over which would have power to hear election petition
s, this can be seen by some of the discussions held in the Standing Committee
during the bill stage. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmstand/a/st030116/am/30116s01.htm
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. The long title
Long title
The long title is the formal title appearing at the head of a statute or other legislative instrument...
is "An Act to make provision enabling alterations to be made to the total number of Members of the European Parliament to be elected for the United Kingdom and to their distribution between the electoral regions; to make provision for and in connection with the establishment of an electoral region including Gibraltar for the purposes of European Parliamentary elections; and for connected purposes."
The Act made provision for a reduction in the number of Members of the European Parliament who represent the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(see Treaty of Nice
Treaty of Nice
The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. It amended the Maastricht Treaty and the Treaty of Rome...
). Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
was enfranchised by adding it to the South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
constituency after taking the British Government to the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
.
The number of seats each region was allocated is as follows:
- East Midlands 6
- Eastern 8
- London 10
- North East 4
- North West 10
- South East 11
- South West 7
- West Midlands 8
- Yorkshire and the Humber 7
- Scotland 8
- Wales 5
- Northern Ireland 3
The addition of Gibraltar to the English constituency gave rise to some problems concerning the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales
Courts of England and Wales
Her Majesty's Courts of Justice of England and Wales are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales; they apply the law of England and Wales and are established under Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The United Kingdom does not have...
and the Courts of Gibraltar
Court system of Gibraltar
The Court system of Gibraltar is made up as follows:-Privy Council:The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London is the highest Court of Appeal for Gibraltar and hears appeals from the Gibraltar Court of Appeal.-Court of Appeal:...
over which would have power to hear election petition
Election petition
An election petition refers to the procedure for challenging the result of a Parliamentary election or local government election in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong.- Outcomes :...
s, this can be seen by some of the discussions held in the Standing Committee
Standing Committee (UK)
In the British House of Commons, public bill committees consider Bills – proposed Acts of Parliament. The House of Lords does not have such committees, as Bills are usually considered by the House as a whole....
during the bill stage. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmstand/a/st030116/am/30116s01.htm
External links
- The European Parliament (Representation) Act 2003, as originally enacted, from the Office of Public Sector InformationOffice of Public Sector InformationThe Office of Public Sector Information is the body responsible for the operation of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and of other public information services of the United Kingdom...
. - European Parliament (Representation) Act (Department for Constitutional Affairs)