As Yorkshire gears up for a referendum on a regional parliament, STEPHEN LEWIS asks Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's office what it would involve.

THE people of Yorkshire and the Humber will be asked to vote next year on whether they want a 'mini parliament' of their own. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said last week a referendum on whether to set up a regional assembly would take place as soon as possible - probably in the autumn of next year.

Yorkshire and the Humber is one of three regions - the others being the North East and the North West - that will be asked whether they want their own devolved parliament.

But would such a parliament really bring the people of Yorkshire more autonomy? Or would it simply mean more bureaucracy and waste? What powers would such a parliament have? And wouldn't there be a danger of the voice of rural communities in North Yorkshire being swamped by the big urban conurbations of Hull, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire?

These are the kind of questions any sensible Yorkshireman (or woman) will want answering before making up his or her mind.

We put a number of questions to John Prescott's office.

This is their response.

What are the potential benefits of giving the people of Yorkshire their own regional assembly?

The Government believes elected regional assemblies will make regional government more accountable to people in each region. They will decentralise power from Whitehall, bringing decision-making closer to the people it affects and giving regions more freedom to meet their own priorities. They will mean better co-ordinated, more efficient and more effective government at regional level.

Our policy for elected regional assemblies is about choice. It offers regions the choice of having their own political voice. No region will be forced to have an elected assembly.

What powers would a devolved regional assembly have?

Assemblies will take decisions on regional issues that really matter, such as jobs, planning, housing, transport, skills, arts, sports, environment and economic development.

They will receive a block grant which will give them freedom to allocate spending according to regional priorities.

Would it not mean simply an extra layer of bureaucracy?

No. In regions where people vote to have an elected assembly, we will move to wholly unitary local government. In other words, there won't be a district council, a county council and an elected regional assembly - there will be an elected assembly and one level of local government.

What changes would it mean to the existing structure of local government in North Yorkshire?

The Boundary Committee for England is now undertaking a review of local government in North Yorkshire.

This review will recommend two or more options for replacing 'two-tier' local government (the county and district councils) with one level, or unitary, local government.

This could be based on the county, or the existing district boundaries, or something new.

Voters in North Yorkshire will vote on their preferred option for unitary local government (at the same time as their vote on whether to establish an elected assembly).

People who already live in unitary areas, such as York, Kingston or Calderdale, will not vote on this issue.

Would it make a difference to the number and role of constituency MPs (ie would their role be reduced?)

No. Parliament and the Government will still be responsible for UK-wide matters such as defence, foreign policy, European policy and taxation.

And Parliament will keep its responsibility for areas of England-wide importance like the NHS and schools.

How many members would an assembly have? Would they be full-time paid politicians?

Assemblies will have between 25 and 35 members. There will be a leader and cabinet (the executive) of up to six members.

The Government proposes executive members and the leader of an assembly should be paid a full-time salary, with other members paid on the basis that they would work probably three days a week on assembly business.

How often would they be elected,

and what form of electoral process would be used?

Elections will be held every four years. The voting system for elected regional assemblies will be the Additional Member System (AMS) form of proportional representation (PR). This is the system already used for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Greater London Authority.

AMS ensures the overall composition of an assembly would broadly reflect the votes cast for the different parties at the assembly election.

Are there any official

recommendations as to where the headquarters of such an assembly might be?

No. It will be up to the region to decide the location of any assembly building. We are not assuming that assemblies will need a new, specifically designed building - and we are not planning to make money available for this purpose.

What assurances could be given that a rural county such as North Yorkshire would not be under-represented on such an authority when compared to metropolitan areas such as Sheffield and Leeds?

When it recommends constituency boundaries for a regional assembly, the independent Electoral Commission is required to take account of special geographical considerations while trying to have broadly the same number of electors in each constituency.

This will allow it to take account, for example, of the fact that an area is sparsely populated and recommend a smaller constituency for that area.

Elected regional assemblies will have enough members to ensure proper representation for rural and urban areas. There will also be scope for sub-regional arrangements, which could include a specific focus on rural areas.

Elected assemblies will have key responsibilities for some rural issues, and will also be required to "rural proof" all their activities. Assemblies will need to actively engage with the regional rural affairs forum and involve them as stakeholders in all relevant work.

Could individual areas within Yorkshire 'opt out' of a regional assembly if they did not want to belong?

No. Assemblies will be expected to govern for the whole region, not just some parts of it; the proposed electoral system will encourage assembly members to take a region-wide view.

We will encourage as many people to vote as possible, so that referendums show the real view of the people of a region.

Updated: 11:14 Wednesday, June 25, 2003