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Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 (Amendment) Order 2009

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Baroness for her presentation of the orders. I found the comments of the noble Lords, Lord Glentoran and Lord Smith of Clifton, very interesting. It is interesting that the Conservative Party, together with the Ulster Unionist Party, now opposes the 11 new district councils and would have required fewer councils. I deplore that position because, having worked as a member of a district council for many years, and living in the west of Ulster, I know that the compromise of 11 is the correct answer. To have had only seven or eight would have made the councils far too large for rural people, as has been mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Smith of Clifton.