568.Sub-sections 3(1) and 3(2) of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 require the Electoral Commission to keep under review the representation of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the House of Commons, and to make regular reports to the Secretary of State about the representation of the whole of each of those parts of the United Kingdom (for example, the whole of Wales).
569.Sub-section 3 (3) of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 also gives the Electoral Commission the power to report to the Secretary of State on a particular area (for example, a specific area of Wales), showing the constituencies into which it thinks the area should be divided, in order to ensure compliance with rules which are set out in Schedule 2 to the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986.
570.The effect of sub-section 3A (1) of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 is that where the Electoral Commission intends to consider making a report under sub-
section 3(1) or sub-section 3(2) of that Act, the Boundary Committee for Wales must carry out a review.
571.The purpose of the review by the Boundary Committee for Wales is to enable it to make recommendations to the Electoral Commission about what it should put in its report to the Secretary of State.
572.Under sub-section 3A(2) of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, the Boundary Committee for Wales must put its recommendations in a report to the Electoral Commission.
573.Paragraph 1(2) of Schedule 1 to this Act says that Schedule 1 will apply where the Electoral Commission intends to consider making a report in respect of the whole of Wales, or a part of Wales under section 3 of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 and, therefore, the Boundary Committee for Wales is under a duty to make recommendations to the Electoral Commission about what the report should say.