---

House of Commons (Participation) Bill

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention because what happened in the case of Northern Ireland was Tam Dalyell’s option three—a reduction in the representation. The hon. Gentleman may recall, although he may not have been in the House at the time, that when the original Stormont Parliament was in place, Northern Ireland representation was just 12 Members, who were effectively under-represented here. That was the sort of balance that was introduced. I believe that creating such under-representation is not the best way to proceed. That is an unfair solution, which is why I am not proposing it today. Rather, I am proposing Tam Dalyell’s option four, which I am about to explain in a few moments.