Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2006

I am here to help. The corresponding number list will be sealed along with the ballot papers, so the same position as currently exists with ballot paper counterfoils will apply, which is that they can be accessed for inspection only after an election by the police witha court order made under the Electoral Administration Act. On the secrecy of numbers on the corresponding numbers list, equipment is being developed so that the voter can see only their own details when signing the list, which I hope will solve the problem that the noble Lord is concerned about. I have also noted that we ought to ensure that the guidance covers any remaining problems that there might be with that. I think that the equipment will solve it, but we will make sure that it does. The noble Lord asked whether there would be a consultation with the candidates about increasing the figure from 20 per cent. There is no requirement for a consultation with the candidates. The noble Lord will know that the practice varies in different places, and I would expect that candidates or agents will be keen to make representations when they think that there is a problem. The noble Lord asked, too, whether checking would be done in the presence of agents and candidates. The answer is yes, it would be. The noble Lord asked a couple of other questions that he has raised in parliamentary Questions, which I have responded to on behalf of my honourable friend Bridget Prentice, about Judge Gilbert’s points about proxy voting. The noble Lord will know that we have not yet had sight of precisely what the judge has said, which we would want to examine very carefully before committing further. But I put a copy of the Written Answer that I gave the noble Lord in the Library. I hope that it will deal with the specific points about proxy voting. We shall come back to noble Lords if any further issues arise from the judge’s remarks, when we have had a chance to see them. The noble Lord asked about requests to inspect postal voting statements. They are made in writing to the registration officer; they must state who will inspect the documents and the date on which they wish to inspect them. They can be viewed only for electoral or research purposes and under supervision. I hope that that answers the noble Lord’s point. The noble Lord asked what would happen if a mark went over the edge of the box. If it did—because some people have more flamboyant signatures than others—it would get kicked out by the machine, a person would look at it and see that it was fine, and it would be fine. So the machine process points up the fact that there is an issue, but it would not cause the problems that the noble Lord is concerned about. With the date box, lots of people print ““DDMMYY””, which is a way in which to get people to put the dates in the right order. We shall havea look to see whether we have covered that. Thepoint is well made, especially in these days of Americanisation, when the date is sometimeschanged round. I think that I have answered the points that the noble Lord made. If I have not, I shall pick them up separately with him. I hope that in general noble Lords will feel that the regulations are worthy of support.