European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2010

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for introducing these orders so clearly. I can tell the Committee at the outset that we support the orders. On the first order, which amends the way in which vacant European parliamentary seats in Northern Ireland are filled, my party, simply put, supports the single transferable vote system as being the best and fairest system of election to any Parliament, and we fully support its use in Northern Ireland European elections. However, the Government’s proposed system of nomination also has the problem of, at best, not providing for sufficient public scrutiny. We wonder whether they have given consideration to the importance of democratic transparency. For instance, do they feel it is important for those who are nominated to fill vacancies to be known to the electorate at the time of the original election and to be subject to scrutiny? That may well answer the concern which the noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, has mooted. As for independents who might stand, we are pleased to see that the order of preference will be indicated in the substitutes list, as otherwise it would be impossible to know how to choose between substitutes. The draft Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 (Amendment) Order amends the way in which vacancies in district council seats in Northern Ireland arising during a term-time are filled. We welcome this order as well. It makes sensible consequential amendments to the 1962 Act in relation to council elections in Northern Ireland. We agree with the analysis that it is unrealistic to retain co-option following the reduction in the number of district councils to 11 with the subsequent increase in the number of members of each council. Given that vacancies in the Assembly and the European Parliament are to be filled by substitution, and that STV is used as the electoral system for all those elections, it makes sense that council elections in Northern Ireland are filled in the same way. We are also pleased to see that the order will replicate the system for filling council vacancies where a person has stood in the name of two or more parties, which has been provided for European vacancies of this sort. The order ensures that there is cohesion across the three types of election in Northern Ireland where STV is used as the electoral system. Finally, on the Representation of the People (Timing of the Canvass) (Northern Ireland) Order, the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 abolished the annual canvass in Northern Ireland and replaced it with a canvass every 10 years. One could be held in 2010, as the noble Baroness the Leader of the House has reminded us, but if the chief electoral officer requested that no canvass take place for a particular reason—in this case, I assume that he was satisfied that the register was very effective—then a canvass could be held in subsequent years, and in 2016 at the latest, which would be 10 years after the previous canvass in Northern Ireland, which was in 2006. With the continuous registration process having started in 2007, there is now a much more robust and accurate electoral register. In fact, I understand that there are currently 1,170,336 people on the register, which is approximately 90 per cent of the voting age population. From these Benches I congratulate all those who have been involved in this very successful process. The chief electoral officer's annual report for 2008-09 sets out a number of innovative and impressive initiatives to increase electoral registration in Northern Ireland, including the schools initiative, which is aimed at registering young people who are still at school. Will the noble Baroness the Leader of the House also inform the Committee what steps or new initiatives are being taken in advance of the general election this year to ensure that a comprehensive register is available on 1 April?