We are dealing in this section with a proposal to increase the number of Deputies to be elected to this House from 144 to 148. I have already indicated that on this side of the House we do not in principle oppose increasing the number of Members by an additional four to 148 but that we object very seriously to the manner in which it is proposed to distribute these additional four seats among the various constituencies the Minister proposes in this Bill.
The Minister is aware that the Constitutional provisions allow for such an increase if he chooses to take the lower figures suggested in the Constitution of 20,000. This is what he has done. The House should be aware that the option open to the Minister ranges from 148 Deputies down to 99 Deputies if he chose the higher figure per Deputy of 30,000 mentioned in the Constitution. As it has been the practice over the years to decide on the number of Deputies by going to the lower limit mentioned in the Constitution, 20,000, one can in that way justify the creation of four new seats. We feel that the Minister is expecting a lot from us in seeking our ready agreement to this section in view of the manner in which those seats have been allocated.