Service Voters’ Registration Period Order 2010

My Lords, when I first saw this order and the Explanatory Memorandum, I thought that they were relatively simple and straightforward. However, having listened to the Minister’s explanation, I am not so sure. I start with the figures that the Minister quoted for service registration. He said that they had got it up to some 65 per cent. We would all accept that that is an improvement but, as he put it, it is not good enough. We would like to see the figure pushed up by whatever means possible in terms of encouraging individual members of the services to register and for their spouses or civil partners to register. However, dare I say that the possible problem might be due to the complexity of matters, and the fact that everything seems to change frequently? Paragraph 7 of the Explanatory Memorandum says—and the Minister made no bones about this: ""Prior to 2000 all service personnel who wished to be registered as electors had to register … which was valid indefinitely"." For various reasons, that was reduced from indefinitely to annually, which was then changed to three years, which was then changed to five—but not for all the people who are so-called service voters. I may have misunderstood the Minister, but that will apply to the service voters who are members of the Armed Forces, plus spouses or civil partners, but not the other people defined as service voters, presumably including those in the diplomatic corps. So two different sorts of service voters are covered by this, some on a three-year basis and some on a five-year basis. The five years was previously three years, the three years previously annually; and, before that, it was indefinitely. I am sure that the Government’s intentions are all very good, and I know that the Minister is trying to meet commitments that arose from the Political Parties and Elections Act, but constant chopping and changing of this sort will probably make things harder and discourage people from voting. He might think that a period of stability might be necessary, particularly in the light of the further changes that we will eventually get with individual registration coming in, which will no doubt lead to further orders that he and I will presumably have to discuss. Will the noble Lord consider that? Finally, perhaps I may turn to one other matter—on which I am sure the noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Llandudno, will touch, because he touches on it with great regularity, and he is quite right to do so—namely postal voting, especially postal voting for those who are overseas at the moment. I am particularly thinking of those who are overseas on active, unaccompanied, tours, such as those in Afghanistan or wherever. I am not particularly thinking of those who are based in Germany. This is most important for those who are on unaccompanied tours. I should like an assurance from the Minister that the Government are doing all that they can to ensure that not only postal voting forms but all other matters relevant to the election will be got out to those who are serving overseas, so that while they are doing their bit to defend democracy in the most hostile circumstances, they can also participate, as we would all think is right and proper. I have no particular objection to these orders, but there has been a degree of chopping and changing over the years. A period of stability might be the answer that the noble Lord would wish to address in due course.