YOU could be forgiven for having forgotten about it since it was so long since we last heard anything, and one or two things have happened in the meantime, but the plans to cut the number of Welsh MPs are back on the table.

Rejigged proposals by the Boundary Commission for Wales, part of a promise by the UK Government to reduce the overall number of MPs by 50 to 600, have been released today.

The revamped plans have been put together following a public consultation into the initial proposals, which included merging the two Newport constituencies and scrapping Islwyn altogether, with some significant changes made in some areas.

Most notably plans which would have seen Port Talbot split up into surrounding constituencies have been scrapped after residents in the area said they weren’t terribly happy about the idea.

So why are the proposals for the seven Gwent constituencies, including merging the two Newport constituencies, scrapping Islwyn and rejigging Monmouth, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly, exactly the same as the ones we saw last year?

The short answer is because very few, if any, people said they were against the plans or suggested alternatives.

It may be that almost everyone in Gwent backs the idea, but surely there’s at least some opposition.

Does everyone in Caerleon, Croesyceiliog and Llanyrafon really want to become part of Torfaen?

And what do the people of Blackwood, Crumlin and Newbridge think about being shifted over to Blaenau Gwent?

A cynical view would be to say the fewer MPs the better - in fact get rid of all of them and we’d be better off.

But, in reality, a smaller number of MPs, each representing more people, is not good for democracy.

Yes, we’ll save a bit of cash in salaries, expenses and whatnot. But when each MP suddenly has to represent an extra 21,000 people something’s got to give.

Inevitably the amount of work required to be undertaken by each individual MP will be greater, meaning it’ll take longer to reply to enquiries and deal with problems.

In some cases, when an elderly lady can’t get her housing provider to come round and fix her broken heating in the middle of January, for example, this can mean the difference between life and death.

A second consultation into the plans is open now at bcomm-wales.gov.uk, so if you’ve got anything to say about it, speak now or forever hold your peace.

Or at least until the next review rolls around.

At this rate that won’t be very long.

l There’s little I dread more in this job than budgets, whether they’re from the government, councils or other organisations.

Something about pages upon pages of tables of figures requiring a Sherlock-like level of intellect to decipher sends me into a minor panic.

It doesn’t help that it takes a degree in accountancy to make sense of the way the figures of presented and whether what you’re looking at is money coming in or going out.

And the Welsh Government has for some reason decided to make things even more complicated by releasing its draft budget in three stages.

A couple of weeks ago it released the headline figures, showing how much cash will be handed to each devolved area in April next year, but without any detail around specific cuts, grants and spending.

Then last week we were told how much funding each individual council in Wales would be given.

And next week we’ll finally be shown the detail of the draft budget, showing just how cuts and spending will be allocated, with no doubt some interesting little stories hidden away in the detail.

Quite why it’s done like this I can’t fathom.

Not only do poor numerically-challenged journalists have to spend three weeks instead of just one wrestling with figures, but the Welsh Government have to weather three weeks of headlines instead of just the one.

Not to mention confusing the public by releasing the details like this.

It’s almost like they want to make it difficult for us to understand.

l As a gentleman of short stature myself, it's hard not to sympathise with pint-sized Welsh secretary Alun Cairns, who is often towered over by his party colleagues.

But even I couldn't help but smirk when he was pictured next to statuesque transport secretary Chris Grayling earlier in the week, who was literally head and shoulders above the Vale of Glamorgan MP.

Maybe some Cuban heels are in order.