House of Commons Amendments

Session 2012 - 13
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

111

House of Commons

Notices of Amendments

given up to and including

Thursday 14 June 2012

Committee of the whole House

Electoral Registration and Administration Bill

Note

The Amendments have been arranged in accordance with the Order of the House

[23 May 2012].

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

2


Clause  1,  page  2,  line  8,  at end add ‘if the Electoral Commission believes that the

new electoral system is operating effectively’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

3


Schedule  1,  page  16,  line  20,  at end insert—

  ‘(6A)
The Minister must ensure that a formal appeals process is in place for any

person in respect of whose registration a determination has been made under

subsection (1).’.

Notices of Amendments: 14 June 2012
112

Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, continued

Dan Rogerson

1

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  44,  at end insert—

‘(2A)
Provision must ensure that application forms ascertain the eligibility of an

applicant to register in another local authority area, and which local authority area

or areas’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

4


Clause  2,  page  3,  line  4,  leave out from ‘(3)’ to end of line 9 and insert ‘will require

a person to provide their date of birth and National Insurance number’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

5


Schedule  2,  page  18,  line  27,  at end insert—

  ‘(4A)
In section 53 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (power to make

regulations as to registration, etc), after subsection (1) insert—

    “()
Provisions shall be made by regulations requiring local authorities

to share data with a registration officer in Great Britain for the

purpose of—

(a)
verifying information relating to a person who is registered

in a register maintained by the officer or who is named in

an application for registration in, or alteration of, a register,

(b)
ascertaining the names and addresses of people who are not

registered but who are entitled to be registered, or

(c)
identifying those people who are registered but who are not

entitled to be registered.

      ()
Registration officers in Great Britain are to be under an obligation

to utilise such information for these purposes.”.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

6


Clause  4,  page  3,  line  39,  leave out from ‘canvass’ to end of line and insert—

  ‘(1A)
The annual canvass must be held during the month of October every year in

relation to the area for which the officer acts.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

8


Clause  4,  page  4,  line  6,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
Each local authority must write once a year to each address in their Local Land

and Property Gazetteer (in Scotland the local addresses in the One Scotland

Gazetteer).

Notices of Amendments: 14 June 2012
113

Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, continued

(3B)
Local authorities must also write to those properties not listed in the Gazetteer but

which the local authority believes have been built in the previous two years.

(3C)
In addition, the local authority should write to every property from which an

electoral registration form has been returned within the past 10 years, except

where the officer has good reason to believe that the property is no longer

residential or has been demolished, and

(3D)
The local authority should write to each property to which it has served a notice

for charges or taxes within the previous five years.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

7


Clause  4,  page  4,  line  9,  leave out ‘may’ and insert ‘must’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

9


Clause  4,  page  4,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(5A)
All higher and further education institutions must cooperate with local officers in

providing a comprehensive list of students in all forms of residential

accommodation.

(5B)
Such lists must be provided at the start of each academic year.

(5C)
Local authority officers must write individually to all students with an electoral

registration form.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

10


Clause  4,  page  4,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(5D)
In all forms of sheltered accommodation the person with responsibility for

managing an individual premises must provide a list on an annual basis of

individual residents to the local authority officer.

(5E)
The local authority officer must write individually to all residents whose names

have been provided on such lists.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

11


Clause  4,  page  4,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(5F)
All private landlords must provide the relevant local authority on an annual basis

with a list of all individuals to whom they rent residential accommodation. The

local authority officer must write individually to all residents whose names have

been provided on such lists.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

22


Clause  6,  page  5,  leave out line 27.

Notices of Amendments: 14 June 2012
114

Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, continued

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

24


Clause  6,  page  5,  line  27,  at end insert—

‘(2A)
If the Minister considers it appropriate to proceed with the making of an order

under subsection (2), the Minister must lay before Parliament—

(a)
a draft of the order, and

(b)
an explanatory document explaining the proposals.

(2B)
Sections 15 to 19 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 (choosing

between negative, affirmative and super-affirmative parliamentary procedure)

are to apply in relation to an explanatory document and draft order laid under

subsection (2) but as if references to section 14 of that Act were references to

subsection (2).’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

23


Clause  6,  page  5,  leave out lines 28 and 29.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

25


Clause  6,  page  5,  line  32,  after ‘section’, insert ‘with the exception of an order

made under subsection (2)’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

27


Clause  7,  page  6,  line  7,  leave out ‘give a copy of the report to the Minister’ and

insert ‘lay a copy of the report before Parliament’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

28


Clause  7,  page  6,  line  9,  leave out subsection (4) and insert—

‘(4)
The report must be laid before Parliament no sooner than three months beginning

with the day on which the Commission is consulted, and no later than five months

beginning with that same day.’.

Notices of Amendments: 14 June 2012
115

Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, continued

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

29


Clause  8,  page  6,  line  28,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
The Minister may only make a pilot scheme once written approval from the

Electoral Commission has been received.

(3B)
Any such written approval must be published by the Minister.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

12


Clause  5,  page  4,  line  32,  at end insert—

‘(1A)
A local authority must include a statement about the importance of electoral

registration in its annual communication with residents relating to the payment of

council tax.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

13


Clause  5,  page  4,  line  32,  at end insert—

‘(1B)
There will be a duty on local authorities to ensure that individuals are invited to

register when those individuals move into the area of the local authority and

register for council tax purposes.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

14


Clause  5,  page  5,  line  14,  at end insert—

‘(7A)
The civil penalty shall be £100.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

16


Clause  5,  page  5,  line  15,  at end insert—

‘(9)
Regulations under subsection (2) must require registration officers to include on

electoral registration forms a clear explanation that the electoral register is used

for other civic purposes.

(10)
There should also be a clear explanation that the electoral register is used for

assessing an individual’s credit worthiness and ability to sustain mortgage

repayments.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

17


Clause  5,  page  5,  line  16,  at end add—

‘(3)
Government departments with responsibility for welfare payments, pensions,

driving licences, revenue collection, National Insurance and passport applications

Notices of Amendments: 14 June 2012
116

Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, continued

must inform all individuals who apply for these benefits or services of their

possible entitlement to join the electoral register.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

15


Schedule  3,  page  19,  leave out lines 9 and 10.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

21


Schedule  5,  page  27,  line  21,  at end insert—

‘(6)
The Government shall report to Parliament annually within two months of the end

of the financial year on what money had been made available to local authorities

to meet costs of transition to the new register and what safeguards have been put

in place to make sure the money has been spent on the specified task.’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

20


Schedule  5,  page  27,  line  44,  leave out ‘second’ and insert ‘third’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

18


Schedule  5,  page  31,  line  6,  leave out ‘first’ and insert ‘second’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

19


Schedule  5,  page  31,  line  19,  leave out ‘first’ and insert ‘second’.

Mr Wayne David

Angela Smith

26


Clause  10,  page  7,  line  34,  at end insert ‘, with the exception of an order made

under section 6(2)’.

Notices of Amendments: 14 June 2012
117

Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, continued

Remaining NEW CLAUSES

Personation

John Hemming

NC1

To move the following Clause:—

‘In section 60 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (Personation) after

subsection (2) insert—

“(2A)
The Secretary of State shall introduce regulations by statutory instrument

to facilitate actions by electoral registration officers, their agents and

others, including candidates and their agents in elections, to—

(a)
prevent, and

(b)
detect personation.”.’.

Other voting offences

John Hemming

NC2

To move the following Clause:—

‘In section 61 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (Other voting

offences) after subsection (6) insert—

“(6AA)
The Secretary of State shall introduce regulations by statutory

instruments to facilitate actions by electoral registration officers, their

agents and others, including candidates and their agents in elections, to—

(a)
prevent, and

(b)
detect the offences listed in subsections (1) to (6).”.’.

Representation of the People Act 1985 (Amendment)

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown

Tony Baldry

Mr Gary Streeter

Mr Robert Buckland

Mr Robert Walter

Mr Greg Knight

Sir Paul Beresford

NC3

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The Representation of the People Act 1985 is amended as follows.



© Parliamentary copyright	Revised 15 June 2012