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Postal Voting

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.
Persons⁽⁵⁾ proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of various fraud related offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983, England and Wales 1994 to 2002

	Offence description: tampering with nomination and ballot papers etc. making false declarations as to election expenses, bribery, treating, undue influence and personation offences
	Persons proceeded against	Persons found guilty
1994	1	2
1995	12	14
1996	—	—
1997	9	5
1998	7	6
1999	3	5
2000(6)	2	1
2001	16	10
2002	1	1

⁽⁵⁾These data are on the principal offence basis.
⁽⁶⁾Excluding any cases in Staffordshire.



 
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WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits/Pensions (Payment Methods)

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]

 
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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.
Benefit and pension accounts in Scotland by method of payment and parliamentary constituency as at April 2005

	All	Direct payment via bank account	Direct payment via post office card account	Cheque	Payable order
Scotland	1,933,365	1,351,580	497,535	82,320	1,935
Aberdeen Central	21,445	15,195	5,345	855	50
Aberdeen North	22,285	16,120	5,395	760	15
Aberdeen South	24,020	18,410	4,875	710	20
Airdrie and Shotts	33,010	20,125	11,230	1,590	65
Angus	28,530	22,290	5,300	900	40
Argyll and Bute	24,900	18,100	5,545	1,220	35
Ayr	30,170	21,790	7,280	1,045	55
Banff and Buchan	28,205	19,255	7,900	1,030	20
Caithness Sutherland and Easter Ross	20,580	14,335	5,315	905	25
Carrick Cumnock and Doon Valley	37,800	25,155	11,400	1,225	20
Central Fife	31,485	22,655	7,815	1,005	15
Clydebank and Milngavie	24,815	18,010	5,600	1,195	10
Clydesdale	33,075	24,315	7,535	1,205	15
Coatbridge and Chryston	28,720	17,435	9,980	1,305	5
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	23,135	16,790	5,530	800	10
Cunninghame North	30,620	21,635	7,640	1,320	25
Cunninghame South	27,535	18,395	7,915	1,210	15
Dumbarton	24,285	17,865	5,195	1,200	25
Dumfries	31,475	23,395	7,010	1,050	20
Dundee East	31,960	21,680	8,905	1,360	20
Dundee West	28,960	20,020	7,645	1,285	10
Dunfermline East	26,970	19,295	6,720	950	10
Dunfermline West	23,235	17,595	4,890	705	45
East Kilbride	29,875	22,910	6,015	945	5
East Lothian	27,920	20,430	6,490	970	25
Eastwood	28,600	22,795	4,955	820	30
Edinburgh Central	21,625	16,020	4,490	1,090	20
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh	29,085	20,220	7,245	1,610	10
Edinburgh North and Leith	23,765	17,085	5,280	1,385	20
Edinburgh Pentlands	23,500	18,005	4,595	880	20
Edinburgh South	23,470	17,755	4,615	1,050	45
Edinburgh West	26,475	20,550	4,960	915	50
Falkirk East	25,080	17,720	6,525	815	20
Falkirk West	28,165	19,860	6,985	1,250	70
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale	29,780	20,820	8,015	915	30
Glasgow Anniesland	31,520	19,615	9,750	2,110	45
Glasgow Baillieston	31,220	17,720	11,510	1,970	20
Glasgow Cathcart	26,835	17,645	7,850	1,315	25
Glasgow Govan	24,690	16,815	6,440	1,395	35
Glasgow Kelvin	21,980	13,775	6,555	1,640	15
Glasgow Maryhill	31,000	16,830	11,640	2,500	30
Glasgow Pollok	30,885	19,465	9,790	1,530	105
Glasgow Rutherglen	29,190	18,405	9,465	1,290	25
Glasgow Shettleston	33,145	17,635	12,985	2,515	15
Glasgow Springburn	34,845	18,405	13,775	2,615	50
Gordon	22,520	16,775	5,145	590	15
Greenock and Inverclyde	27,605	18,465	7,865	1,250	20
Hamilton North and Bellshill	27,940	17,940	8,765	1,210	25
Hamilton South	26,070	16,915	8,040	1,100	15
Inverness East Nairn and Lochaber	29,560	22,095	6,185	1,245	30
Kilmarnock and Loudoun	31,205	22,030	7,815	1,325	30
Kirkcaldy	26,380	19,315	6,270	780	20
Linlithgow	27,180	18,720	7,295	1,155	10
Livingston	26,985	20,050	5,820	1,090	25
Midlothian	24,510	18,170	5,335	980	25
Moray	26,570	19,615	6,005	925	25
Motherwell and Wishaw	31,100	19,140	10,410	1,530	15
North East Fife	24,165	18,445	4,895	765	60
North Tayside	30,075	23,565	5,540	940	30
Ochil	26,700	19,650	6,255	785	10
Orkney and Shetland	13,020	9,595	2,935	480	10
Paisley North	26,890	17,850	7,735	1,290	15
Paisley South	28,950	19,590	8,080	1,220	60
Perth	28,555	22,035	5,570	930	25
Ross Skye and Inverness West	26,890	19,295	6,335	1,220	40
Roxburgh and Berwickshire	22,730	17,000	5,085	625	25
Stirling	23,415	16,695	5,935	765	20
Strathkelvin and Bearsden	27,090	21,600	4,645	820	25
Tweeddale Ettrick and Lauderdale	21,890	16,870	4,385	615	20
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine	20,935	16,290	4,115	520	15
West Renfrewshire	23,695	17,015	5,720	920	40
Western Isles	10,885	6,525	3,440	910	10

Notes:
1.Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum due to rounding.
2.Figures are taken from the latest available data at 16 April 2005.
3.Figures refer to payment accounts. Claimants with more than one account will be counted for each account and customers with combined payments will only be counted through the paying benefit (i.e. RP with PC). Figures relate only to accounts live and in payment on the specified date.
4.Child benefit is now administered by the Inland Revenue and War Pensions are now administered by MOD. These benefits have therefore been excluded.
5.Parliamentary constituencies are allocated using the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
DWP, Information Directorate, 100 per cent. data.





 
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