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

We will be very happy to draw the noble Lord’s concerns to the attention of the relevant people. On the question of the eligibility to vote in local government elections, registration officers make decisions on who is entitled to be on the register based on the information received. We are introducing the co-ordinated register of electors to assist in future with a UK-wide approach to registering eligible voters. I have already dealt with confidence in the electronic counting system. I was asked whether we can use manual counting as a fallback. The electronic system has been independently verified and tested, and a manual count can be used if the electronic system fails. At the moment, there is one question that we are unable to answer. It came from the noble Baroness, Lady Carnegy of Lour, and I shall write to her on whether the different descriptions of parties have to be consistent between the regions and between the constituency and regional lists. I will send a copy of that letter to all noble Lords who have taken part in this debate. The noble Lord, Lord Greaves, is right that parties can register up to 12 descriptions with the Electoral Commission. I was asked when the Government will provide the results of their voting systems review. Discussions are continuing within government in preparation for the review. No decision has yet been taken regarding timing for conducting it.