Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008

rose to move, That the draft regulations laid before the House on 14 May be approved. The noble Lord said: My Lords, I shall move the first order in my name on the Order Paper and speak to the second. The regulations set out the procedures for registering voters in Northern Ireland and cover some technical administrative aspects of the conduct of parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland. The regulations consolidate and replace the existing Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001, which have already been amended several times. Although this is a consolidation exercise, which means that the regulations before us are rather lengthy, bringing the regulations together in a single text will simplify the legislation and make it easier to use for all those involved in the application and interpretation of electoral law in Northern Ireland. Most of the regulations simply replicate the substance of the 2001 regulations. However, there are some changes. The regulations contain new provisions necessary to implement the changes to electoral administration contained in the Electoral Administration Act 2006 and the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006. The regulations also introduce new provisions requested by the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland, which are intended to help him to fulfil his registration objectives and further to improve the management of elections in Northern Ireland. I will now highlight the key changes that the regulations will make. Noble Lords may be aware that Northern Ireland’s registration procedures differ from those operating in the rest of the UK, as a result of the anti-fraud measures operating there. As in the rest of the UK, under the late registration scheme, eligible individuals will be able to register to vote up to 11 days before polling day. However, the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act provides that those applying to register late in Northern Ireland will be required to provide additional supporting material alongside their application. That is because, at that stage in the electoral cycle, the chief electoral officer would simply not have the time to make the necessary checks on applications made under the normal application process. Regulation 25 lists the type of supporting material that may be required when applying for late registration. That material will enable the chief electoral officer to verify the applicant’s date of birth, nationality, address, and the fact that he or she has been resident in Northern Ireland for three months prior to the application date. A further change relates to photographic identification. Unlike in Great Britain, voters in Northern Ireland are required to produce photographic ID when voting in person. At present, only a photographic driving licence, passport, Translink senior citizens travel pass or an electoral identity card, which is issued by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, may be accepted as proof of identity. Regulation 15 would extend the type of acceptable ID to include a blind person’s travel pass and a war disabled travel pass issued by Translink. Both of those documents meet the same fraud prevention requirements as the senior citizens’ travel pass. Regulation 15 also removes the requirement for the ID to be ““current”” to be accepted at a polling station. Post-election reports indicate that a small number of otherwise eligible electors have been unable to vote because they have presented out-of-date photographic ID. A person should not be disfranchised simply because his or her ID is not current. In order to maximise voter participation, the regulations will allow electors to vote regardless of whether their ID is current, as long as the presiding officer is satisfied that the ID confirms the elector’s identity. The regulations also contain provisions aimed at encouraging more young people to register to vote. Young people are at present especially underrepresented on the electoral register. For that reason, Regulation 42 contains changes that will allow the chief electoral officer to request information from secondary schools in Northern Ireland. That information would then be used to invite older pupils to register. That proposal builds on the chief electoral officer’s current powers to obtain information and offers an innovative solution to increasing the number of young people registered in Northern Ireland. The Service Voters’ Registration Period (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 would simply extend the period for which members of the forces, or their partners who have made service declarations, may remain registered as electors before being required to make a further declaration. This period is currently set at one year in Northern Ireland. The order will extend that period to three years, bringing Northern Ireland into line with Great Britain. The consolidation exercise means that the draft regulations before us are particularly lengthy. However, the changes made in them, and the process of consolidating the existing legislation, will benefit voters and help us to make the complex rules governing elections easier to follow for all concerned. I hope noble Lords will join me in supporting these regulations, which are necessary to ensure the effective administration of elections in Northern Ireland. I beg to move. Moved, That the draft regulations laid before the House on 14 May be approved. 20th Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.—(Lord Tunnicliffe.)