Commentary on Sections Section 1: Constituencies and regions
9.Subsection (1) replaces the previous Schedule 1 of the Scotland Act, which makes provision for constituencies, regions and regional members in relation to the Scottish Parliament, with a new Schedule 1 which retains the number of constituencies in the Scottish Parliament at 73, with the 8 regions continuing to return 7 regional list members, thereby preserving the size of the Parliament at 129 Members.
10.Subsections (2) and (3) introduce Schedule 2, which makes provision to deal, if necessary, with the period before the functions of the Boundary Commission for Scotland are transferred to the Electoral Commission.
11.Subsection (4) provides that the first review of the Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions will not commence until after the next general election to the Scottish Parliament in 2007.
12.Subsection (5) is a consequential amendment. Schedule 1 of the Scotland Act had been substantially amended (prospectively) by paragraphs 17 to 24 of Schedule 3 to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Those provisions, concerning the transfer of functions from the Boundary Commission for Scotland to the Electoral Commission, are superseded by the provisions in this Act.