Electoral Administration Bill

My Lords, I support my noble friend Lady Hanham. Following her eloquent description of the issue at hand, I will be brief. Since the last general election, it has been clear that voter registration arrangements in the armed services leave much to be desired. The Government have come back with a suggestion that goes some way to improving the opportunity for the armed services to vote, but I agree with my noble friend that their amendment does not go far enough. We need to tackle this issue head-on by holding the MoD to account by reintroducing the duty to register servicemen and women to vote, with an opt-out clause. I commend noble Lords who have supported us in the past, particularly the noble Lord, Lord Garden, who supported my noble friend on Report. I hope those noble Lords will continue to support us to ensure that this matter is finally resolved.