Session 2014-15
Other Public Bills before Parliament
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Wales Bill
to be moved
in committee
After Clause 5
LORD ROBERTS OF LLANDUDNO
Insert the following new Clause—
“PART 1A
VOTER REGISTRATION
(1) The Secretary of State shall by regulations impose a duty on government
bodies requiring those bodies to provide specified information to
registration officers in Wales for the purposes of electoral registration.
(2) Regulations under subsection (1) must include as government bodies the
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Department for Work and
Pensions, HM Passport Office and the National Health Service.
(3) Regulations made under subsection (1) shall include the provision of data
collected by specified government bodies by virtue of specified
applications, which must include applications for new or renewed driving
licences, Disability Living Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment
and Support Allowance, new or renewed passports, and to register with a
GP (as applicable to the specified government body).
(4) Registration officers shall use the specified information received in relation
to a person—
(a) if the specified information received contains all of the information
required, to register that person on the appropriate electoral
register or registers; or
(b) if the specified information does not contain all of the information
required, to make further enquiries of that person to receive the
information required to register that person on the appropriate
electoral register or registers.
(5) For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this section shall give any
government body the power to share any information about a person
without that person’s consent.
(6) In this section—
“electoral register or registers” means the registers in section 9 of the
Representation of the People Act 1983;
“specified applications” means any applications made by a person
potentially eligible to be registered to vote as are specified in
regulations made under section 1(1); and
“specified government bodies” means any government bodies
specified in regulations made under section (1)(1).”
Insert the following new Clause—
In section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (registration
officers: duty to take necessary steps), after subsection (2) insert—
“(2A) In Wales, the steps include—
(a) taking active steps to increase the number of people on the
electoral register that belong to a specified group;
(b) leading or arranging for one voter engagement session per
academic year at each school or further education college
within his area of responsibility.
(2B) In subsection (2A), “specified group” shall have the meaning
determined by regulations made by the Secretary of State but shall
include the following groups—
(a) people aged 16 to 24 years old;
(b) people with a disability within the meaning of the Equality
Act 2010; and
(c) people from a racial group, as defined in section 9 of the
Equality Act 2010, which made up less than 10 per cent of
the population of Wales in the previous census.””
In the Title
LORD ROBERTS OF LLANDUDNO
Line 2, after “Government;” insert “to make provision about voter registration in
Wales;”