Electoral Administration Bill

We debated under and over-registration earlier; it changes from place to place. I was citing examples, borne out by the Electoral Commission research, which show that in some inner-city areas as many as 35, 37 or 38 per cent. of people are not registered. When, as the commission agrees, a total of 3 million to 4 million people are not registered, that is a crisis. The hon. Gentleman has just quoted evidence from the Select Committee session with the Electoral Commission last week and I shall quote from that, too. Sam Younger referred to the tension between participation and security, which is what we are debating, and said:"““We do not feel national insurance numbers are something we should be asking people to provide at registration.””" The commission does not agree with a chunk of the amendment, and Sam Younger made that clear under our questioning. He sees the tension and the difficulty. I have two quotes from electoral officers in the north-west. I have used them before, but they are still appropriate. In evidence to the Joint Select Committee in 2004–05, the ERO for Trafford—now, sadly, a Conservative-run authority—said that whole areas of the electorate would not respond to requests for individual registration, particularly the under-registered groups. I know and have respect for that officer. He told me that, in his view, individual registration would be like a"““throwback to the poll tax””," as it would make registration numbers drop like a stone and not recover for many years.