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Mr. Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the effect on turnout of postal voting on demand. [8412]
Ms Harman: Returning Officers have a duty to complete a 'statement as to postal ballot papers'; for each election (form K, schedule 3 to the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001). This includes the total of postal ballot papers issued and received by the Returning Officer.
The Electoral Commission will collate and publish this information later this summer, as part of their general duty to report on UK Parliamentary elections. We cannot make an assessment of the exact percentage of the overall turnout that can be attributed to postal voting, until the Commission publishes its report.
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many cases resulting in conviction there have been of (a) denying another person's right to a secret vote when using a postal ballot and (b) forcing another to vote for a certain person or political party when using a postal ballot in each of the last five years. [8920]
Ms Harman: This information is not held centrally. The following table indicates the number of people found guilty of electoral fraud related offences from 1994 to 2002. Since 2002 a councillor in Blackburn pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the returning officer. He was sentenced to 3 years and 7 months on 8 April 2005 and in Guildford, a councillor was jailed for four months in April 2004 for forging ballot papers in a local election.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many customers have responded to the invitation to move to the direct payment of pensions and benefits stating that they couldnot open or operate a bank or Post Office card account; [3153]
(2) how many and what proportion of pension and benefit recipients have been identified as suitable for the cheque-based system of paying pensions and benefits. [3160]
Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available in the format requested. We did not collect data on how many customers responded stating that they could not open or operate an account.
We contacted all customers who were not paid by direct payment asking them to provide details of which account they would like their money paid into. Customers who did not provide account details (for whatever reason, including not being able to open or operate an account) were moved to cheque payment.
We are now paying over 96 per cent. of customer accounts by direct payment.
The number and percentage of customers that were being paid by cheque at April 2005 is shown in the following chart:
GB total | |
---|---|
Total customers (million) | 16.1 |
Paid by cheque (million) | 0.712 |
Paid by cheque (percentage) | 4 |
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has toevaluate the success of the exceptions scheme for people who are unable to use Post Office card accounts or basic bank accounts to receive their pensions or benefits. [3156]
Mr. Plaskitt: As at April 2005 there were 712,000 customers who were being paid regularly by cheque.
We have monitored payment by cheques since they replaced girocheques in October 2004 and will continue to do so.
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We believe that while cheques are a practical way of paying customers we also believe that, wherever possible, our customers should be encouraged to be paid direct into an account. That method of payment provides the safest, most reliable and best service.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Gordon and (b) the North East of Scotland have been contacted about the move to the Direct Payment of benefits and pensions; and how many of those have (i) opted to receive their benefits or pension into a (A) bank account and (B) Post Office Card Account (ii) responded that direct payment is not a suitable method for the payment of benefits and (iii) not responded. [3169]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. Information which is available at 16 April 2005 is shown in the table.
All DWP customers have now been contacted about the move to Direct Payment and in Scotland we are now paying over 95 per cent. of customer accounts this way. Independent research has shown that there are very high levels of satisfaction among those customers who have transferred to Direct Payment.
Customers who did not respond to the initial invitation were contacted again and those who still did not provide account details were moved to cheque payment following confirmation of their on-going entitlement.
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