Electoral Administration Bill

The amendment of my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) would maintain the status quo. We believe that moving the last day for registration closer to polling day could benefit registration, so we shall not support his amendment. Although moving the last day for registration to 11 days before polling day is in alignment with the close of nominations, we are concerned that that is too close to polling day. To that extent, we believe that my hon. Friend points in the right direction. The Liberal Democrats propose a change of only two days, and we struggle to see what difference that would make, although I would be interested to hear the Minister’s views. There is no doubt that a change in the deadline is welcome. The current rolling registration law means that the register is updated every month, but, to vote, a person must be on the register for the month in which an election begins. The closing date is usually midway through the previous month, which means that the deadline for the 2005 general election was fully six weeks before polling day. Moving the last registration day closer to polling day will allow people to register when they hear that the general election is called and is a valid way of encouraging greater registration, as interest and awareness among the electorate tends to peak closer to polling day. It has also been proposed that registering to vote and submission of postal votes will have the same 11-day deadline. We are concerned that that will put enormous pressure on electoral registration officers. Does the Minister agree that there simply will not be enough time for the appropriate checks to be carried out on each application? Will EROs really be able to manage such a large number of last-minute applications at one of the most hectic times of the year? Will the objection process for questioning dubious registrations work effectively? That could be an issue of concern, particularly in marginal seats and as we attempt to combat fraud in the electoral system. What provisions will be in place for the Royal Mail to deliver election literature via the freepost to late applicants? Will there be an opportunity for last-minute mailing to them? The questions go on, and time does not allow me to ask all of them, but I think that the Minister sees where I am coming from on this issue.