7(1)The rules referred to in paragraph 3 are:
1A constituency shall fall wholly within a region.
2The regional electorate of any region shall be as near the regional electorate of each of the other regions as is reasonably practicable having regard, where appropriate, to special geographical considerations.
3So far as reasonably practicable, the ratio which the number of regional member seats bears to the number of constituency member seats shall be 56 to 73.
4The number of regional member seats for a region shall be—
(a)one eighth of the total number of regional member seats, or
(b)(if that total number is not exactly divisible by eight) either one eighth of the highest number which is less than that total number and exactly divisible by eight or the number produced by adding one to one eighth of that highest number (as provided by sub-paragraphs (2) to (4)).
(2)If the total number of regional member seats is not exactly divisible by eight, the Commission shall calculate the difference between—
(a)the total number of regional member seats, and
(b)the highest number which is less than that total number and exactly divisible by eight,
and that is the number of residual seats to be allocated by the Commission.
(3)The Commission shall not allocate more than one residual seat for a region.
(4)The Commission shall divide the regional electorate for each region by the aggregate of—
(a)the number of constituencies in the region, and
(b)one eighth of the highest number which is less than the total number of regional member seats and exactly divisible by eight,
and, in allocating the residual seat or seats for a region or regions, shall have regard to the desirability of allocating the residual seat or seats to the region or regions for which that calculation produces the highest number or numbers.
8(1)For the purposes of any report of the Commission in relation to a region, the regional electorate is the number of persons—
(a)whose names appear on the enumeration date on the registers of local government electors, and
(b)who are registered at addresses within a constituency included in the region.
(2)In sub-paragraph (1), “the enumeration date” means the date on which the notice about the report is published in accordance with section 5(1) of the 1986 Act.