Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2007

Right. Question number one from the noble Duke: why has there been such a lack of time for consideration? We were unable to lay the instrument before the Committee any earlier. To allow us to include Schedule 5, ““Combination of Polls””, in the order we had to wait until after the local government election rules had been made in the Scottish Parliament on 1 February. The noble Duke asked about personal identities being inconsistent with England and Wales where other changes are also being introduced. We are keen to remain consistent with England and Wales and will commence this provision for Scotland after May. We felt that already a number of significant changes were being introduced for electoral administrators in May, including the introduction of electronic counting and the single transferable vote for the local government elections to be held on the same day as the Scottish Parliament. That is why they will not be introduced until after May. The noble Duke also asked about the number of anonymous registrations. We have no knowledge of how many people will avail themselves of the right to register anonymously, but we will monitor the numbers after the provision comes into effect in June. He also asked how anonymous registrants will vote at polling stations. The voter at the polling station will be identified by poll card, which the voter will need to take to show to the presiding officer. The noble Duke asked what it means when we say that the sorting papers should be face down. It means that the front of the paper on which you cast your vote goes face down. He asked what the Government are doing about incompatibility with ECHR. The Government’s consultation paper was issued on 14 December with a 12-week deadline for comments. As signalled in the foreword by the Lord Chancellor, the Government wish to launch a debate on how best to implement the Grand Chamber judgment in the Hirst case, which required a review of the current blanket ban on prisoners’ rights to vote. The responses to the consultation, which, as the noble Lord, Lord Steel, told us, closed today, will be analysed and, if appropriate, drafting of phase 2 consultation will occur between April and June 2007. The response paper for the phase 1 consultation completed on 7 March is expected to be published in June 2007. The noble Duke also asked whether elections would be put in limbo by an ECHR challenge. The answer is no: the elections will proceed in May as planned. He also asked whether there would be a limit on commonly used names. It refers to a commonly used name defined in legislation and there is no prescription on what that should be.