I thank the noble Baroness for that intervention. I am going to make some progress in my comments. As set out in the legislation, the Government will be evaluating the implementation of voter identification to understand the impacts on the sector and electors and to aid ongoing implementation of the policy. That evaluation is ongoing and we will publish the first report of our evaluation in November. We will consider the recommendations made by the Electoral Commission as part of our evaluation.
The noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, also mentioned methods of communication. As I have just moved house and have applied to join a new register, I know that the level of communication from electoral administrators is incredibly strong, with text messages, emails and post in the more traditional way. I think we are seeing electoral registration officers around the country embracing all the different tools available to them but, in the end, how best to manage applications and contacts with electors is a decision for local EROs.
From my recent experience, I know EROs have a very good understanding of how best to communicate with voters.
My noble friend Lord Hayward mentioned the burden on administrators. They do a very good job on behalf of us all. Officials have been working and will continue to work carefully and closely with the sector on planning the implementation of this policy. A first new burdens grant payment of nearly £400,000 was provided to local authorities in August for the implementation of the changes to postal and proxy voting, along with detailed methodology of how that funding allocation was made. Further grant funding will be provided in April 2024, once again supporting ongoing delivery ahead of the May 2024 elections. We have completed robust modelling of the policies, but we appreciate that introducing any new service could fluctuate. That is why we already have a process in place through which local authorities will also be able to claim additional new burdens funding retrospectively via a justification-led bid to facilitate them in carrying out new duties. We remain confident in their ability successfully to deliver these changes.
Electors can also check with their ERO if they are registered for a postal vote.
A number of noble Lords mentioned limits on proxies and whether they are necessary. The noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, saw both sides of this argument. I have a few comments to make on it. As many noble Lords will know, currently someone may act as a proxy for up to two electors and an unlimited number of close relatives in each constituency or each electoral area at a local election. This means they would potentially hold a large number of proxy votes at the same time, which clearly should not be the case. This could give rise to situations where a number of people could be coerced into appointing proxies who could then use those votes to affect the outcome of a poll. Limiting the number of people for whom someone may act as a proxy, regardless of their relationship, is a proportionate response to concerns about abuse or potential abuse of those votes.
The noble Lord, Lord Bruce, mentioned instruments relating to EU voting and candidacy rights. The instruments dealing with voting and candidacy rights will be debated by the House next month. However, I note that electoral law is excepted in Northern Ireland, while it is devolved as it relates to the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales.
My noble friend Lord Hayward talked about changes to the timeline for the transition period for existing postal voters. It is true that we originally intended to begin transition to the new arrangements this year. However, we took a decision to allow more time for voters and administrators. All existing postal voters now have until January 2026 to apply.
I turn to the comments and questions from the noble Lord, Lord Dodds, although I am very happy to write to him immediately after this debate and have further discussions about them. I note that there are concerns about the effect of the retention measures on the register and agree that the accuracy of the register and ensuring that only persons eligible to be registered are in fact registered is paramount to protect our democracy and confidence in the electoral system.
However, as I mentioned, there are no concerns here that the electors being retained on the register are not entitled to be registered.
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Existing provisions set out that, where the chief electoral officer can accurately assess using local data and DWP data that the non-responder is eligible to be on the register at the address at which they are registered, they may be retained on the register for two years. We are extending this period by just a year to ensure that the register is as complete as it can be for any elections which may be held next year. It is also important to note, as I referred to earlier, that the Electoral Commission supports the extension of the period of retention. Additionally, its report into the accuracy and completeness of UK registers published yesterday found that Northern Ireland registers are at the highest levels of accuracy and completeness ever recorded. However, as I mentioned, I will make sure that we write to the noble Lord with a bit more detail, particularly on his points about when people apply for a driving licence and the sharing of data.
A number of noble Lords mentioned the impact on administrators. Briefly, officials have been working and will continue to work very carefully and with the whole sector. It is important that we keep that under regular review.
Voters understanding the requirements and confusion about them was highlighted strongly by the noble Lord, Lord Khan of Burnley. I reiterate that, for existing postal voters with a long-term postal vote arrangement in place, it will automatically be extended until 31 January 2026 and they will not need to reapply until then. EROs will be required to contact them to inform them of this before this date. Should the elector not choose to reapply before 2026, they will be contacted again to inform them that their postal voting arrangement has been cancelled.
For those with a proxy arrangement already in place, EROs will be required under these provisions to communicate to that elector the need for them to reapply in advance of their arrangement coming to an end under the transitional arrangements on 31 January 2024. Should the elector not choose to reapply by this date, the ERO must contact the elector again to inform them that their proxy arrangement has been cancelled. New postal or proxy voters will be able, as now, to visit either their local authority website or the Electoral Commission site to understand what options are available to them and all elector guidance will be updated to reflect the new regulations.
A number of noble Lords, particularly the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, mentioned making sure that the digital service has strong accessibility for all voters. We all agree that accessibility is a very important factor in building any new digital service. As with other GOV.UK services, we adhere to strict usability and accessibility guidelines. Online systems also support some disabled people, as use of technology, such as screen readers, enables them to undertake activities themselves whereas the paper environment is more difficult to deal with.
The service is currently being thoroughly tested to ensure that the needs of a range of electors are considered in the user journey. Testing of the service in private
beta has so far been carried out with 3,604 electors and 11 electoral registration officers from across England, Wales and Scotland. Those participants were users from a range of different demographics, including different age groups and electors with varying experience of using digital systems. To be clear, for electors who are perfectly comfortable with the existing paper-based application process, that is not being removed by this service. The online system is being made available in addition to the existing paper route.
Coming to the end of my responses, in regard to digital-readiness, the Government are committed to delivering the online absent vote application service, which ensures that the process of applying for an absent vote is made more efficient for electors and administrators. As is the case for all new digital products and services, the online absent vote application service has undergone significant design, development and testing to ensure that it is ready for launch. To this end, the electoral sector has been heavily involved in the testing of the digital service, its feedback being critical in informing ongoing development and refinement.
We will continue to work closely with local authorities’ elections teams and with election sector stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission and the Association of Electoral Administrators, to support the sector with the rollout of these changes and the launch of the digital service.
I conclude by thanking all noble Lords for taking part in this debate and I commend the regulations.