UK Parliament / Open data

Electoral Administration Bill 2005-06

Debate on bills and Committee of the Whole House (HC) on Tuesday, 8 November 2005, in the House of Commons.
Electoral Administration Bill. Committee stage. Clauses 9 to 18 agreed to. New Clause 1 debated and negatived. New Clauses 2 and 3 debated and agreed to.
Type
Parliamentary proceeding
Reference
439 c184-278, (corrigendum) 448;439 c184-278 
Session
2005-06
Department
Department for Constitutional Affairs
Legislative stage
Committee stage
Procedure
New clauses
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Related items
Electoral Administration Bill 2005-06. Explanatory notes Bill 50-EN also published.
Tuesday, 11 October 2005
Bills
House of Commons
Corrections
Wednesday, 9 November 2005
Parliamentary proceedings
House of Commons
Electoral Commission / administration. Memoranda in the form of evidence laid before the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee. (Vote)
Wednesday, 2 November 2005
Parliamentary committees
House of Commons
Electoral registration. First joint report in 2 volumes from the Constitutional Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committees in three volumes (Constitutional Affairs Committee sixth report and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Committee sixth report), with proceedings, evidence (HC 243 i-iii not printed separately) appendices and memoranda.
Wednesday, 16 March 2005
Parliamentary committees
House of Commons
Proceeding contributions
David Cairns | 439 c257, ( corrigendum) 448;439 c257-8 (Link to this contribution) We did not move immediately to all-postal regional pilots. They were piloted at a local and voluntar...
David Heath | 439 c257, ( corrigendum) 448;439 c257 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to all those who participated in this brief debate, but hearing the Minister say that ...

Show all contributions (243)
David Heath | 439 c257, ( corrigendum) 448;439 c258 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman again attempts to clarify what he said, but the fact remains that, following that...
Chris Ruane | 439 c187-8 (Link to this contribution) May I tell the hon. Gentleman that the figures for under-registration are in the public domain and w...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c187 (Link to this contribution) I do not have those figures, but I would be delighted to hear them from the Minister.
John Pugh | 439 c187 (Link to this contribution) Obviously, the rules can encourage under-registration or over-registration. Has the hon. Gentleman s...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c187 (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point—I agree—but our position is that the integrity of ...
Andrew Love | 439 c188 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman for getting on to the terms of amendment No. 14. I understand that, under...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c188 (Link to this contribution) I agree with my hon. Friend: there can be over and under-representation on the same register, but th...
Andrew Turner | 439 c188 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that one can have under-registration and over-registration at the same tim...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c188 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman has been dying to give that statistic, and he has now given it.
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c186-7 (Link to this contribution) No, I shall make headway. Longer-term analysis by the Electoral Commission suggests that there is a...
Lord Beith | 439 c187 (Link to this contribution) There is a fundamental difficulty with that. If someone’s name is inappropriately on the electoral...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c185-6 (Link to this contribution) That is an issue that we shall come to later. We must be careful not to confuse the overriding need...
Simon Hughes | 439 c185 (Link to this contribution) I hope that my question is precisely on the matter for debate. One issue involving clear mischief is...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c186 (Link to this contribution) We believe that and we support the provisions that say it, but we want electoral registration office...
Andrew Love | 439 c186 (Link to this contribution) I want to ask the hon. Gentleman to address an essential point. Do the Opposition believe that it sh...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c186 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman makes a good point that I will make on a later group of amendments. I believe tha...
Gordon Prentice | 439 c186 (Link to this contribution) There is a legal duty to return the electoral registration form. Over the past five years, how many ...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c186 (Link to this contribution) I cannot, but I would be interested to hear those figures from the Minister.
Chris Ruane | 439 c186 (Link to this contribution) On postal ballot fraud, can the hon. Gentleman give the figures for the number of successful prosecu...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c185 (Link to this contribution) To answer the question put by the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane), yes, if a survey were...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c185 (Link to this contribution) Order. Before the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) proceeds, I should like to draw the Co...
Chris Ruane | 439 c185 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman mentioned the MORI poll, which I think was conducted in May and June. Is he worri...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c184-5 (Link to this contribution) We welcome the intention of the Bill and the Government’s belated recognition that all is not well i...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c184 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments: No. 30, in page 6, line 18, a...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c184 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 14, in clause 9, page 6, line 15, at end insert—
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c184 (Link to this contribution) I advise the Committee that the first joint report of last Session from the Constitutional Affairs a...
David Heath | 439 c215 (Link to this contribution) I think that the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) has made a sensible point, but it occurs ...
David Heath | 439 c213-4 (Link to this contribution) I do not think that I needed one, actually. I commend the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogl...
Baroness Harman | 439 c214-5 (Link to this contribution) I do not think that there is any cunning intent. We are just trying to be sensible here, and to ensu...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c211 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments: No. 2, in page 7, line 29, leav...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c211-2 (Link to this contribution) The clause has wide-ranging support, not only from us, but from bodies such as the Society of Local ...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c210-1 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 15, in page 7, line 17, at end insert—
David Heath | 439 c213 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for that advice, Mrs. Heal.
Celia Barlow | 439 c212-3 (Link to this contribution) I applaud the concern expressed by the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) over consistency,...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c213 (Link to this contribution) May I advise right hon. and hon. Members that the correct way to address the Chair when we are in ...
Baroness Harman | 439 c219-20 (Link to this contribution) The last general election took place on 5 May, but the closing date for registration was 11 March, a...
David Heath | 439 c224 (Link to this contribution) The present situation is entirely unacceptable. The hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) has don...
Baroness Harman | 439 c223-4 (Link to this contribution) That is a good point, but it is for the MOD to consult the armed services. The hon. Member for Chic...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c223 (Link to this contribution) Has the Minister considered returning to the old system, but ensuring that the military have an obli...
Baroness Harman | 439 c223 (Link to this contribution) I said at the outset that our motivation was to ensure that everybody entitled to vote was on the re...
Lord Tyrie | 439 c221-3 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move that the clause be read a Second time. [Hon. Members: ““Hear, hear.””] It is gratifyin...
Andrew Turner | 439 c221 (Link to this contribution) I will certainly think about what the Minister said and I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment...
Baroness Harman | 439 c220-1 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is exactly right and that is exactly why we have included this clause in the Bill. S...
Andrew Love | 439 c220 (Link to this contribution) Is not the critical factor that a general election, with all the general publicity and with field wo...
Lord Robathan | 439 c224 (Link to this contribution) Let me say briefly that I had a meeting with—
Chris Ruane | 439 c217 (Link to this contribution) Can the hon. Gentleman cite any research on the level of vote fiddling?
Andrew Turner | 439 c216-7 (Link to this contribution) I shall be as brief as I can. I propose the removal of subsection (2). I have three objections to it...
David Heath | 439 c218 (Link to this contribution) I can also be brief. I support the Government’s view that the maximum amount of time should be allow...
Andrew Turner | 439 c217 (Link to this contribution) Of course I cannot cite any research evidence as to what vote fiddling there would be in relation to...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c216 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for her clarifications and her offer to consider the clause further. On that ba...
Baroness Harman | 439 c215-6 (Link to this contribution) As we are going to look at the question of children, I shall take up the hon. Gentleman’s suggestion...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c216 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments: No. 10, in page 8, line 28, lea...
Andrew Turner | 439 c216 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 27, in page 8, line 26, leave out subsection (2).
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c218-9 (Link to this contribution) The amendment of my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) would maintain the status ...
Brian Binley | 439 c218 (Link to this contribution) I am an old campaigner and, in the old days, as the Minister will know, we used to publish B and C...
Anne Begg | 439 c232-3 (Link to this contribution) I want to speak about some concerns that the organisation Scope has brought to my attention, and I l...
David Heath | 439 c233 (Link to this contribution) This clause and these amendments are important because there is real concern about the potential for...
Oliver Heald | 439 c231-2 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman makes an important point: people in HMOs are poor at registering to vote. Why is ...
David Heath | 439 c234 (Link to this contribution) Yes, but she does not participate in the electoral system, so that is not a significant objection. ...
David Heath | 439 c233-4 (Link to this contribution) Before the hon. Gentleman starts giving us statistics, I hasten to say that I am talking about the p...
David Heath | 439 c234 (Link to this contribution) I think that the hon. Gentleman heard what I said on Second Reading and knows that I think that it i...
Andrew Love | 439 c234 (Link to this contribution) Amendment No. 18 mentions the need to supply a national insurance number, but it would also require ...
Oliver Heald | 439 c228-9 (Link to this contribution) : I beg to move amendment No. 18, in page 11, line 11, leave out subsections (2) to (4) and insert—
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c229 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss amendment No. 20, in clause 15, page 14, line 23, after ‘...
Oliver Heald | 439 c229-30 (Link to this contribution) The purpose of the amendment, which follows the wording of the Northern Ireland legislation, is to i...
Chris Ruane | 439 c230 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman referred to Northern Ireland statistics. Let me repeat that when the changes were...
Jim Devine | 439 c230 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is correct that voter registration has fallen over the last 10 or 15 years—coinci...
Oliver Heald | 439 c230 (Link to this contribution) My figures relate to September, when I spoke to the electoral registration officer, and it was...
Chris Ruane | 439 c231 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman mentions houses in multiple occupation. The west ward of Rhyl, in which my office...
Oliver Heald | 439 c231 (Link to this contribution) I would credit the hon. Gentleman for just one point there. He may not remember, but the poll tax or...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c190-1 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman. We support the intention of the amendment and would appreciate it if the...
Gordon Prentice | 439 c188 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c188-90 (Link to this contribution) No, I will make some progress. We acknowledge that the Secretary of State is given powers to add to...
Clive Betts | 439 c191-2 (Link to this contribution) Yes, I would be content to move in that general direction. I also feel that the whole House should t...
Clive Betts | 439 c191 (Link to this contribution) I was interested by the Opposition’s approach. I was more heartened at the end of the speech by the ...
Chris Ruane | 439 c191 (Link to this contribution) : Yesterday I spoke to Sam Younger, head of the Electoral Commission. He shares my hon. Friend’s vie...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c188 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman will find that the situation varies dramatically from place to place. Best practi...
David Heath | 439 c193-4 (Link to this contribution) : I rise to speak to the group of amendments and, in particular, to the amendments standing in my na...
Andrew Love | 439 c194 (Link to this contribution) : That is not a controversial statement, but does the hon. Gentleman agree that if we introduce too ...
David Heath | 439 c194 (Link to this contribution) I do, actually. If the hon. Gentleman listened to what I said on Second Reading, he would know that ...
Oliver Heald | 439 c194 (Link to this contribution) That is not what the amendment says.
David Heath | 439 c194 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman says that that is not what the amendment says, but it is. The clause deals with t...
Oliver Heald | 439 c194 (Link to this contribution) It would be all right further down.
Clive Betts | 439 c192-3 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps, and if this House does not require that a league table be drawn up, someone doubtless soon ...
Chris Ruane | 439 c192 (Link to this contribution) That excellent suggestion has my full support. However, local EROs should produce such reports not o...
Clive Betts | 439 c193 (Link to this contribution) The point that my hon. Friend makes is absolutely right. In Australia, for example, driving licenc...
Chris Ruane | 439 c193 (Link to this contribution) I have in my hand responses from EROs throughout the country, and it may surprise my hon. Friend to ...
Andrew Love | 439 c198 (Link to this contribution) : May I raise with the hon. Gentleman a concern expressed to me at the general election? I have seve...
Lord Horam | 439 c198 (Link to this contribution) Unfortunately, that shows that there is a downside to every improvement we try to make. On the who...
Gordon Prentice | 439 c196-7 (Link to this contribution) : I agreed with the Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath) when he said that this should not be a...
Lord Horam | 439 c197-8 (Link to this contribution) I support my hon. Friend the Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) in his amendment. I also agree...
David Heath | 439 c195-6 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman makes an important point—although I must say that my business is being a Member o...
Brian Binley | 439 c195 (Link to this contribution) I am especially concerned about how databases are gathered. My business is the creation of databases...
David Heath | 439 c195 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is right. Multiple entries sometimes appear on the register that one would expect the...
John Pugh | 439 c195 (Link to this contribution) : When we collect data, does my hon. Friend agree that we must ensure that things do not happen that...
David Heath | 439 c194-5 (Link to this contribution) It would be all right further down. That would be the right place, as it would suggest that the regi...
John Pugh | 439 c199 (Link to this contribution) : I am sure that the hon. Gentleman is aware that such things as Government grant are based on the n...
Andrew Love | 439 c199-200 (Link to this contribution) Interestingly enough, we have no representative from the London borough of Westminster. Such a point...
Adam Afriyie | 439 c200 (Link to this contribution) We are in a bit of danger of confusing two issues. Registration officers have a duty to facilitate r...
Andrew Love | 439 c200-1 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman will find that other measures give electoral registration officers the powers and...
Andrew Love | 439 c198-9 (Link to this contribution) I rise primarily to endorse the amendments tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Atterc...
Lord Horam | 439 c198 (Link to this contribution) I agree with the hon. Gentleman’s point about the mathematical facts. Undoubtedly, under-registrat...
Andrew Love | 439 c199 (Link to this contribution) I note the point that my hon. Friend makes; the Minister may wish to respond to it later. I shall t...
Andrew Mackinlay | 439 c199 (Link to this contribution) Has my hon. Friend taken cognisance of the fact that, particularly in London, a growing number of pe...
Chris Ruane | 439 c198 (Link to this contribution) : I have not got the exact information, but I will get back to the hon. Gentleman. Is not the greate...
Lord Horam | 439 c198 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps the hon. Gentleman has looked into the problem in detail, so he may know. I invite him to in...
Chris Ruane | 439 c203 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman said that there is not a crisis of under-registration in Northern Ireland. When t...
Peter Robinson | 439 c202-3 (Link to this contribution) I do not intend to speak at length on this group of amendments. However, clause 70 does not apply to...
Andrew Love | 439 c202 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is right that there has been a great lack of transparency in this area. I hope that b...
Andrew Love | 439 c201 (Link to this contribution) I would endorse all those sources, but we could use other data sources, such as the comprehensive re...
Andrew Turner | 439 c201 (Link to this contribution) : Problems would be likely to arise when drawing on data from other sources when individuals wished ...
Chris Ruane | 439 c201 (Link to this contribution) Research from the Electoral Commission shows that many of the 3.5 million to 4 million people who ar...
Andrew Love | 439 c202 (Link to this contribution) Yes, I accept that point. I am pleased that my hon. Friend raises that matter at such an appropriate...
Chris Ruane | 439 c202 (Link to this contribution) Is my hon. Friend aware that the Department does not know how much is spent by each electoral regist...
Andrew Love | 439 c201 (Link to this contribution) Any information that goes alongside the name and address of a person claiming child tax credit shoul...
David Leslie Taylor | 439 c207 (Link to this contribution) My right hon. and learned Friend undertook an interesting exercise at her advice sessions. I did som...
Baroness Harman | 439 c206-7 (Link to this contribution) That is certainly the intention. We want to have full registration, to encourage participation and ...
Peter Robinson | 439 c203-4 (Link to this contribution) No. The hon. Gentleman’s case rests on an assumption. It was well documented that many people had re...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c204 (Link to this contribution) I want to make a couple of brief comments on matters to which other hon. Members have not referred. ...
Adam Afriyie | 439 c204-5 (Link to this contribution) If registration officers can pull in other data sources and have a duty to encourage participation...
Baroness Harman | 439 c205-6 (Link to this contribution) We have had a wide discussion on the amendment. I shall begin by discussing the spirit of the Bill a...
Andrew Turner | 439 c206 (Link to this contribution) I understand the good intent with which the Minister conducted her survey. Does she agree that somet...
Baroness Harman | 439 c206 (Link to this contribution) When I took those forms along to the electoral registration officer in Southwark, she did not think ...
Brian Binley | 439 c206 (Link to this contribution) I take the Minister’s point that everybody should have the right to vote, but surprising numbers of ...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c210 (Link to this contribution) I shall be brief. If there is no integrity in the register, there is little on which to base a democ...
Baroness Harman | 439 c207 (Link to this contribution) I do agree. Social inequality is a problem in terms of participation as well as registration. It use...
Clive Betts | 439 c210 (Link to this contribution) Will my right hon. and learned Friend consider that including the word ““maximise”” in the Bill migh...
Baroness Harman | 439 c210 (Link to this contribution) We shall consider both the information that electoral registration officers use and information that...
Chris Ruane | 439 c208 (Link to this contribution) Will the use of local government databases be monitored on a national scale? Can we be specific abou...
Baroness Harman | 439 c208-10 (Link to this contribution) I can reassure my hon. Friend that we will do that as well as ensuring that electoral registration o...
Andrew Gwynne | 439 c208 (Link to this contribution) The Minister is right to mention resources. During the recent general election, several people came ...
Baroness Harman | 439 c208 (Link to this contribution) I can assure my hon. Friend that those people will get a knock on the door, not once but twice if th...
Gordon Prentice | 439 c207 (Link to this contribution) What about people who have pots of money—those who have second homes? Would it not be more equitable...
Baroness Harman | 439 c207 (Link to this contribution) Most of those who are registered in two places are students. Because we do not know when the electio...
Anne Begg | 439 c262;439 c263 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman describes the current position with electronic voting or text messaging, but five...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c261;439 c262 (Link to this contribution) Order. There is too much noise in the Chamber and it is difficult to listen to the debate.
Oliver Heald | 439 c261-2;439 c262-3 (Link to this contribution) It is clear that the public value the tried and tested ballot-box polling station—the traditional Br...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c261;439 c261-2 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments: No. 23, in page 15, line 24, a...
Oliver Heald | 439 c261;439 c262 (Link to this contribution) Amendment No. 21 provides for no pilot schemes by all-postal voting. As Members on both sides of the...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c246 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: Amendment No. 5, in page 14, line 26, leav...
David Heath | 439 c246-8 (Link to this contribution) We move on to the vexed question of pilots, which the Government have given rather a bad name. Pilot...
Oliver Heald | 439 c245-6 (Link to this contribution) I congratulate the Minister’s civil servants on the lines of argument that they have managed to cons...
David Heath | 439 c246 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 4, in clause 15, page 14, line 17, leave out subsection (1).
David Cairns | 439 c244-5 (Link to this contribution) I apologise if I inadvertently mischaracterised the hon. Gentleman’s argument. If anything, however,...
David Heath | 439 c244 (Link to this contribution) I fear that the Minister may inadvertently have misrepresented our position. We have not said that w...
David Cairns | 439 c243-4 (Link to this contribution) We are examining fraud in postal vote applications. I accept that one has to sign for a postal vote ...
Lord Beith | 439 c243 (Link to this contribution) An answer to the Minister’s first question is that if people do not provide a signature, they will n...
David Cairns | 439 c241-3 (Link to this contribution) We have had an extremely useful and enlightening debate. It has been our first canter around issues ...
Clive Betts | 439 c241 (Link to this contribution) Clearly, the university must provide information about who is resident in those halls. That is simpl...
Anne Begg | 439 c250-1 (Link to this contribution) I sat through all the debate on Second Reading, and I have sat through a large chunk of the debate...
Anne Begg | 439 c251-2 (Link to this contribution) But earlier the hon. Gentleman described exactly what the barriers are. Which personal identifiers w...
Oliver Heald | 439 c250 (Link to this contribution) I should like to start by agreeing with the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath). Not to t...
David Heath | 439 c249-50 (Link to this contribution) I agree with the hon. Gentleman. We should set out with an open mind. We had a similar situation wit...
Oliver Heald | 439 c250 (Link to this contribution) I am sure you would be very tough on me, Mr. Conway, if I strayed too far down that road, because it...
Anne Begg | 439 c250 (Link to this contribution) If the hon. Gentleman is saying that he wants to reach out and involve as many people as possible in...
Clive Betts | 439 c249 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way again. We had some interesting pilots in Sheffield on elec...
David Heath | 439 c249 (Link to this contribution) All sorts of things might lead to interesting results. However, I see no inconsistency between sayin...
Mark Harper | 439 c237-8 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady and several of her colleagues referred to the crisis of under-registration. That may i...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c238 (Link to this contribution) People in some of the under-registered groups probably do not see registration as a priority. Resear...
Oliver Heald | 439 c237 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady is continuing with a statement that the Electoral Commission has said is untrue. Sam Y...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c237 (Link to this contribution) We debated under and over-registration earlier; it changes from place to place. I was citing example...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c238 (Link to this contribution) I am sure that the Opposition would. I do not speak as someone who has a problem in her constituency...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c236-7 (Link to this contribution) I want to talk about registration and personal identifiers. On Second Reading, I said that I whole...
David Heath | 439 c235-6 (Link to this contribution) I could not agree more with my right hon. Friend. The Electoral Commission does not arrive at its co...
Lord Beith | 439 c235 (Link to this contribution) : As well as the merits of the case put forward by the Electoral Commission for the proposal it has ...
David Heath | 439 c234-5 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman may well know his place, but many people cannot readily bring to mind their natio...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c238-9 (Link to this contribution) I am sorry, Mr. Conway. I cited two EROs who say that in their experience the proposals would make ...
Clive Betts | 439 c239-40 (Link to this contribution) I shall deal with the two key issues in the debate: first, the personal identifiers and the possible...
Lord Beith | 439 c240 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman realise that Irish citizens, for example, are entitled to vote in this count...
Clive Betts | 439 c240-1 (Link to this contribution) I accept that there is no absolute read across, but the basics of a pretty accurate register would b...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c241 (Link to this contribution) In some ways, the hon. Gentleman has answered his own question—ultimately, the canvassing needs to g...
Oliver Heald | 439 c238 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady will be aware that there has been much criticism of the Labour party over election fra...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c238 (Link to this contribution) Order. The hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) must let the hon. Lady speak.
Baroness Keeley | 439 c238 (Link to this contribution) I do not want to talk about postal voting pilots, but when I was in local government I worked on s...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c238 (Link to this contribution) Order. The hon. Lady keeps referring to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) as ...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c238 (Link to this contribution) I said on Second Reading that part of the difficulty with postal voting ballots is that many authori...
Oliver Heald | 439 c261 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 21, in page 15, line 24, at end insert—
David Cairns | 439 c256-7 (Link to this contribution) Those are two perfectly valid questions and I am literally just about to address them in turn. I wa...
Mark Harper | 439 c253 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman has mentioned the level of registration in Northern Ireland at great length and a...
Chris Ruane | 439 c253 (Link to this contribution) In 1997, there 55,000 voters, which went down to 48,000. I raised the issue in the House two or thre...
Mark Harper | 439 c252-3 (Link to this contribution) To pick up the point about pilots, I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Hertfordshi...
Chris Ruane | 439 c253 (Link to this contribution) Before I move on to new clause 5, I want to pick up a few points mentioned by other hon. Members. T...
David Cairns | 439 c255-6 (Link to this contribution) The debate is yet further evidence of the lack of consensus on individual registration and personal ...
Mark Harper | 439 c254 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is very generous in giving way. What I was looking for was the percentage of thos...
Chris Ruane | 439 c254-5 (Link to this contribution) Whatever the percentage is, it will be a lot worse—[Interruption.] I think that I have given enough ...
Andrew Love | 439 c265;439 c266 (Link to this contribution) May I share with my hon. Friend the real dilemma about piloting? What happens if all the local autho...
David Cairns | 439 c265-6;439 c266-7 (Link to this contribution) I am not certain whether my hon. Friend was in the Chamber when I addressed that issue in relation t...
David Heath | 439 c265;439 c265-6 (Link to this contribution) Does the Minister accept that there are two principal objections to all-postal ballots? One is the r...
David Cairns | 439 c265;439 c266 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is tempting me to revisit a discussion on a previous group of amendments. Let me ...
Oliver Heald | 439 c267;439 c268 (Link to this contribution) I am not satisfied, but I intend to make that request to the Committee. On the parliamentary scruti...
Oliver Heald | 439 c267;439 c268 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 25, in clause 18, page 17, line 15, after ‘electors’, insert ‘knowingly’...
Mark Harper | 439 c266-7;439 c267 (Link to this contribution) Although I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on the Fron...
David Cairns | 439 c267;439 c267-8 (Link to this contribution) I hear the hon. Gentleman’s point, but it is axiomatic that if people take their ballot paper to a p...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c268 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss amendment No. 26, in clause 18, page 17, line 18, after ‘...
Oliver Heald | 439 c268 (Link to this contribution) We support the creation of the new offence of providing false information when registering or applyi...
David Cairns | 439 c263-4 (Link to this contribution) The amendments relate to pilot schemes for local elections in England and Wales under section 10 of ...
Anne Begg | 439 c264;439 c264-5 (Link to this contribution) People are worried about changing the electoral system and pilots because of the possibility of abus...
David Cairns | 439 c264;439 c265 (Link to this contribution) Let me say this clearly: the Government condemn fraud wherever it occurs and whomsoever is guilty of...
Brian Binley | 439 c264;439 c265 (Link to this contribution) : The night is getting late, my mind is slowing down and the Minister speaks very quickly. Did the M...
David Cairns | 439 c264;439 c265 (Link to this contribution) No, I specifically said in the prospectus for the next local council elections that we are not invit...
David Cairns | 439 c265 (Link to this contribution) I apologise to the hon. Member for South Staffordshire.
Oliver Heald | 439 c265 (Link to this contribution) The Electoral Commission said that all-postal voting should not be pursued and that"““the option of ...
David Cairns | 439 c265 (Link to this contribution) We see merit in all-postal voting. There is a clear difference between our position and that of the ...
Oliver Heald | 439 c262;439 c263 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady cannot have it both ways. We have tried an accurate system of voter registration in No...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c262-3;439 c263 (Link to this contribution) : I disagree most profoundly. As I said earlier, I have experience of a number of successful all-pos...
Oliver Heald | 439 c263 (Link to this contribution) It is becoming an abuse—that is the truth of it. We were happy to agree to some pilots in 2000 to tr...
David Heath | 439 c262;439 c263 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is accurate in saying that the Government’s intention is to pilot and pilot and p...
Oliver Heald | 439 c262;439 c263 (Link to this contribution) I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman is right. I think that we both heard the rustle of the long gras...
Rudi Vis | 439 c273;439 c274 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman please tell us what would happen if two people from minority parties died at...
David Heath | 439 c277 (Link to this contribution) I entirely accept what the hon. Gentleman says and do not want to detain the House any further, othe...
Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 439 c275-6 (Link to this contribution) It gives me great pleasure to support the new clause tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for South S...
Lord Cormack | 439 c274-5 (Link to this contribution) As the hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson), who is in fact on the Northern Ireland Policing B...
David Heath | 439 c268 (Link to this contribution) I shall make an equally short contribution. As the hon. Gentleman knows, it is always difficult to p...
Lord Cormack | 439 c273;439 c274 (Link to this contribution) I put forward that proposal in my first speech, when I introduced my Bill. I had talks with the Mini...
Kelvin Hopkins | 439 c273 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman referred to small and eccentric parties. What about large and eccentric parties s...
Lord Cormack | 439 c271-3;439 c272-3 (Link to this contribution) I am delighted to be able to move new clause 3 and grateful to you, Sir Alan, for grouping it with n...
Peter Robinson | 439 c273;439 c274 (Link to this contribution) : This is a problem and it needs to be resolved. It is possible that a euthanasia party or a hara-ki...
Lord Cormack | 439 c273;439 c273-4 (Link to this contribution) No, there cannot be. In this wonderful democracy of ours, it is entirely up to people to register as...
Oliver Heald | 439 c268;439 c269 (Link to this contribution) That is a most satisfactory assurance from the Minister. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendmen...
David Cairns | 439 c268;439 c268-9 (Link to this contribution) We agree with the intention behind the amendment. It is right that someone should not be prosecuted ...
Lord Cormack | 439 c271;439 c272 (Link to this contribution) : I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
David Heath | 439 c276;439 c276-7 (Link to this contribution) I applaud the way in which the hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Sir Patrick Cormack) introduced ...
David Heath | 439 c251 (Link to this contribution) Provision for setting aside the personal identifier in such circumstances has already been made by t...
Oliver Heald | 439 c230 (Link to this contribution) It looks as though the hon. Gentleman, who wants to intervene, has been pressing that case strongly....
Greg Knight | 439 c188 (Link to this contribution) Will my hon. Friend explain to the Committee how this amendment, which I broadly support, would work...
Clive Betts | 439 c201-2 (Link to this contribution) I accept my hon. Friend’s point about the need to get the right data sources. He mentioned resources...
Baroness Keeley | 439 c205 (Link to this contribution) I do not believe that that is an issue, because we are not into that territory, yet. Last week, the...
Baroness Harman | 439 c277;439 c277-8 (Link to this contribution) I have nothing to add, except to say that I completely agree with all the points made by the hon. Me...
Lord Cormack | 439 c277 (Link to this contribution) I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his support. The only circumstance where the death of o...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c271;439 c272 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss new clause 2—Candidate not to stand in more than one cons...
Clive Betts | 439 c248-9 (Link to this contribution) I am struggling a little with the hon. Gentleman’s fall-back position. It appears that he does not...
Chris Ruane | 439 c238 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend think that the official Opposition might show greater concern about under-regist...
Mark Harper | 439 c256 (Link to this contribution) If voluntary pilot schemes are to rely on local authorities coming forward, how can we ensure that s...
Jonathan Djanogly | 439 c188 (Link to this contribution) Yes, that would be correct. That is the law and electoral registration officers should be checking u...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 439 c263 (Link to this contribution) Order. I do not think that that was an invitation to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).
Notes
Daily part printing error - Text of debate contributions omitted in Daily Part given at 439 c448.
Subjects
Disclosure of information
Armed forces
Death
Candidates
Administration
Absent voting
Fraud
Elections
Electronic voting
Electoral Commission
Electoral register
General elections
National insurance
Pilot schemes
Northern Ireland
Personation
Proof of identity
Registration
Voting behaviour
Voting methods
Timetables
Legislation
Electoral Administration Bill 2005-06
Link
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