The
Chairman: Order. Please, one
speaker.
Mrs.
Laing: Thank you, Sir Nicholas.
My one
concern when I first looked at the proposals for a co-ordinated online
record of electors was that it was yet another instance of the
Government bringing enormous amounts of information to a central point.
There is always a danger in that, because, as we have seen with child
benefit, many Ministry of Defence information sources, even provisional
driving licences and many more examples that I shall not take the
Committee’s time to explore, the more the Government bring vast
amounts of information together in a central place, the more risk there
is of that information going astray. We do not want that to happen in
the case of CORE.
I seek
assurances that the Minister has learned from the mistakes of his
colleagues and that the data security aspect of the provision will be
taken into consideration. It is unimaginable what a catastrophic effect
there would be if the information concerned were brought to a central
point and then lost. I assume that the technology will be good enough
that the information would not be lost for ever, which would be quite
ridiculous. If the information got into the wrong hands, even if it
were not used for nefarious purposes, it could certainly be used to
send so much junk mail that although it might be good for the economic
prospects of the Post Office, it certainly would not be good in terms
of the amount of paper engendered and the number of trees cut
down.
That is just
one way that I can think of in which such information could be used. I
hope that it would not be, and I sincerely hope that the real purpose
of the CORE project will be advanced securely and with good use of
taxpayers’ money and careful regard for the information about
individual citizens of this country that will be held in a central
point. I seek those assurances merely because we would like to be able
to support the Government’s new
clause. 12.30
pm
Mr.
Wills: First, I congratulate the hon. Lady for managing to
make so many generic points out of what is rather a modest little
amendment to the CORE
provisions, enabling us to tackle fraud even more
effectively than we are already tackling it, which I hope is an
objective that all of us on the Committee share. None the less, she has
raised some interesting points and I will briefly address
them. I
start by gently pointing out to the hon. Lady that there may just be a
contradiction between the various points that she has raised. On the
one hand, she appears to be criticising us for what she described as
delaying bringing CORE on stream. On the other hand, she said that she
hoped that we would be extremely careful to ensure that money was well
spent and that we took great care in ensuring that the data were stored
securely. I would like to suggest to her tactfully that the reason that
we are proceeding so cautiously and deliberately on this matter is
precisely to ensure that we are spending the money to good effect and
that the data is stored securely.
I am very
happy to take the Committee’s time in explaining everything that
we are doing, but very briefly I would like to point out to the hon.
Lady that we are moving forward carefully. We are consulting 468
different electoral registration officers to ensure that they are in a
position to store and move the data securely. We are spending the money
carefully and I am very glad that she agrees that the money that we
have spent so far has been well spent. We will continue to ensure that
we get value for money.
The hon.
Lady’s description of a list of Government failures was, if I
may say so, misleading There is no question but that mistakes have been
made in Government. Mistakes are also made in the private sector. Those
mistakes involve the failure to achieve value for money, projects not
coming to fruition in the way that they were originally conceived, and
of course matters of data protection. It is a matter of record that the
Government have made mistakes, but, as I say, mistakes also happen in
the private sector, so I should be grateful if she would reflect on the
fact that there is no evidence that the public sector is worse than the
private sector in this regard, either in terms of great schemes that
did not come to fruition in the way that they were originally
conceived, after lots of money had been spent, or in the matter of data
protection.
The most
recent data losses in the public sector have taken place among private
sector contractors working for Government. The real problem with this
area is that the technology is moving so much faster than the
managerial processes that are in place. I can absolutely assure the
Committee that the Government are seized of this issue. In the last
year, we have taken radical action to improve our processes. No one can
ever guarantee that all data will always be secure, but we are doing
our very best and we are certainly moving forward in
relation to
CORE. I
sense that you are getting slightly impatient about our straying beyond
the remit of the clause, Sir
Nicholas.
The
Chairman: Indeed, the Chair
is.
Mrs.
Laing: I am happy to assure the Minister that I fully
appreciate that, of course, mistakes occur in the private sector too,
but he knows perfectly well that two wrongs do not make a right. Just
because the private sector makes mistakes, and sometimes it makes
mistakes on behalf of the Government, does not excuse the Government
from the responsibility that they have to the
taxpayer.
The
Chairman: Order. We have covered this ground adequately.
Perhaps the Minister can respond to the
debate.
Mr.
Wills: I will, Sir Nicholas. I just want to say that I
entirely agree with the hon. Lady; I was just seeking to correct a
misleading impression that she was
giving. However,
we have perhaps spent enough time on this particular amendment. I
detect a consensus on it. I beg to move the new clause.
Question
put and agreed
to. Clause
read a Second time, and added to the
Bill.
New Clause
1Individual
voter registration ‘(1) The
1983 Act is amended as
follows. (2) In section 10
(maintenance of registers: annual canvass), for subsections (4A) and
(4B) there is
substituted— “(4A)
Subject to subsection (4B) below, the information to be obtained by the
use of such a form for the purpose of a canvass shall
include— (a) the
signature of each of the persons in relation to whom the form is
completed; (b) the date of
birth of each such person;
and (c) in relation to each
such person— (i) his
national insurance number or a statement that he does not have
one, (ii) a statement of
whether or not he has been resident in the United Kingdom for the whole
of the three-month period ending on 15th October in the year in
question, and (iii) any address
in the United Kingdom in respect of which he is or has applied to be
registered (other than the address in respect of which the form is
completed), and the power in subsection (4) above to prescribe a form
includes power to give effect to the requirements of the
subsection. (4B) An electoral
officer may dispense with the requirement mentioned in subsection
(4A)(a) above in relation to any person if he is satisfied that it is
not reasonably practicable for that person to sign in a consistent and
distinctive way because of any incapacity of his or because he is
unable to read.”. (3) In
section 10A (maintenance of registers: registration of
electors)— (a) for
subsections (1A) and (1B) there is
substituted— “(1A)
Subject to subsection (1B) below, an application for registration in
respect of an address in the United Kingdom shall
include— (a) the
signature of each of the persons to whom the application
relates; (b) the date of birth
of each such person; and (c) in
relation to each
person— (i) his national
insurance number or a statement that he does not have
one, (ii) a statement of
whether or not he has been resident in the United Kingdom for the whole
of the three-month period ending on the date of the application,
and (iii) any other address in
the United Kingdom in respect of which he is or has applied to be
registered, and the power in subsection (1) above to prescribe
requirements includes power to give effect to the requirements of this
subsection. (1B) An electoral
registration officer may dispense with the requirement mentioned in
subsection (1A)(a) above in relation to any person if he is satisfied
that it is not reasonably practicable for that person to sign in a
consistent and distinctive way because of any incapacity of his or
because he is unable to read.”,
(b) for subsection (5A) there is
substituted— “(5A)
A person’s name is to be removed from the register in respect of
any address if— (a) the
form mentioned in section 10(4) above in respect of that address does
not include all the information relating to him required by virtue of
section 10(4A) above; or (b)
the registration officer determines that he is not satisfied with the
information relating to that person which was included in that form
pursuant to that
requirement.”. (4) In
section 13A (alteration of registers), for subsections (2A) and (2B)
there is
substituted— “(2A)
Subject to subsection (2B) below, an application for registration under
subsection (1)(a) above in respect of an address in the United Kingdom
shall include— (a) the
signature of each of the persons to whom the application
relates; (b) the date of birth
of each such person; and (c) in
relation to each such
person— (i) his national
insurance number or a statement that he does not have
one, (ii) a statement of
whether or not he has been resident in the United Kingdom for the whole
of the three-month period ending on the date of the application,
and (iii) any other address in
the United Kingdom in respect of which he is or has applied to be
registered, and the power in subsection (1)(a) above to prescribe
requirements includes power to give effect to the requirements of this
subsection. (2B) The Chief
Electoral Officer may dispense with the requirement mentioned in
subsection (2A)(a) above in relation to any person if he is satisfied
that it is not reasonably practicable for that person to sign in a
consistent and distinctive way because of any incapacity of his or
because he is unable to
read.”’.—[Mrs.
Laing.] Brought
up, and read the First
time.
Mrs.
Laing: I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second
time.
The
Chairman: With this it will be convenient to discuss the
following: Amendment (a), in proposed new subsection
(4A)(c) to section 10 leave out sub- paragraph
(ii). Amendment
(b), in proposed new subsection (1A)(c) to section 10A leave out
sub-paragraph
(ii). Amendment
(c), in proposed new subsection (2A)(c) to section 13A leave out
sub-paragraph
(ii). New
clause 2—Registration of British citizens
overseas— ‘In
section 2 of the Representation of the People Act 1985 (c.
50) (registration of British citizens overseas), after paragraph (3)(b)
there is
inserted— “(ba)
the declarant’s passport number or a statement that the
declarant does not have
one.”’. New
clause 7—Opting in to the edited electoral
register— ‘(1)
The Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment)
Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/341) is amended as
follows: (2) In regulation 93
(edited version of the register), for subsection (2) there is
substituted— “The
edited register shall include the name and address of any elector whose
details are included in the full register only if a request has been
expressly made in the form referred to in section 10(4) of the 1983 Act
or in accordance with Regulation 26 above by or on behalf of that
elector for his or her name and address to be included on the edited
register.”’.
New clause
8—Personal identifiers at the ballot
box— ‘(1) The
Representation of the People Act 1983 (“the 1983 Act”)
Schedule 1 (Parliamentary Election Rules) shall be amended as
follows. (2) The following
shall be inserted after Rule 27(1) (ballot paper to be delivered to
voter on
application)— “(1A)
A ballot paper shall not be delivered to a voter unless he has produced
a specified document to the presiding officer or a
clerk. (1B) Where a voter
produces a specified document, the presiding officer or clerk to whom
it is produced shall deliver a ballot paper to the voter unless the
officer or clerk decides that the document raises a reasonable doubt at
to whether the voter is the elector or proxy he represents himself to
be. (1C) Where a voter produces
a specified document to a presiding officer and he so decides, he shall
refuse to deliver a ballot paper to the
voter. (1D) Where a voter
produces a specified document to a clerk and he so decides, he shall
refer the matter and produce the document to the presiding officer who
shall proceed as if the document has been produced to him in the first
place. (1E) For the purposes of
this rule a specified document is one which for the time being falls
within the following
list— (a) a current
passport issued by the government of the United Kingdom or by the
government of the Republic of
Ireland; (b) a current licence
to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part III of the Road Traffic Act
1972 (or Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988) (including a
provisional licence), or under Article 12 of the Road Traffic (Northern
Ireland) Order 1981 or any corresponding enactment for the time being
in force; (c) a credit or debit
card with signature; (d) HM
forces identification card; (e)
a medical card with signature on
it; (f) a local authority valid
bus pass with signature on
it; (g) a valid book for the
payment of allowances, benefits or pensions if it has a signature in
it; (h) a tenant book if it has
a signature in it; (i) a
certified copy, or extract, of an entry of marriage issued by a
Registrar General, where the voter producing the copy of an extract is
a woman married within the period of two years ending with the day of
the poll concerned. In
sub-paragraph (i) above “a Registrar General” means the
Registrar General for England and Wales, the Registrar General of
Births, Deaths and Marriages for Scotland or the Register General for
Northern Ireland, (1F)
Regulations may make provision varying the list in paragraph (1E) above
(whether by adding or deleting documents or varying any description of
document). (1G) References in
this rule to producing a document are to producing it for
inspection.”. (3) The
following shall be inserted after Rule 38(1) (incapacitated
voter’s vote to be marked on ballot paper on
application)— “(1A)
Paragraphs (1A) to (1G) of Rule 37 shall apply in the case of a voter
who applies under paragraph (1) above as they apply in the case of a
voter who applies under Rule 37(1), but reading references to
delivering a ballot paper to a voter as references to causing a
voter’s vote to be marked on a ballot
paper.”. (4) The
following shall be inserted after Rule 39(2) (blind voter to be allowed
assistance of companion on
application)— “(2A)
Paragraphs (1A) to (1G) of Rule 37 shall apply in the case of a voter
who applies under paragraph (1) above as they apply in the case of a
voter who applies under Rule 37(1), but reading references to
delivering a ballot paper to a voter as references to granting a
voter’s application.”.
(5) The following shall be
inserted after Rule 40(1) (person entitled to mark tendered ballot
paper after another has
voted)— “(1A)
Paragraphs (1A) to (1G) of Rule 37 shall apply in the case of a person
who seeks to mark a tendered ballot under paragraph (1) above as they
apply in the case of a voter who applies for a ballot paper under Rule
37(1). (1B) Paragraph (1C)
below applies where a presiding officer refuses to deliver a ballot
paper to a person under paragraph (1C) of Rule 37 (including that
paragraph as applied by Rule 38 or 39 or this
Rule). (1C) The person shall,
on satisfactorily answering the questions permitted by law to be asked
at the poll, nevertheless be entitled, subject to the following
provisions of this Rule, to mark a ballot paper (in these Rules
referred to as “a tendered ballot paper”) in the same
manner as any other
voter.”. (6) The
following shall be inserted after Rule
40(4)— “(5) A
person who marks a tendered ballot paper under paragraph (1C) above
shall sign the paper, unless it was marked after an application was
refused under Rule 38 or
39. (6) A paper which is
required to be signed under paragraph (5) above and is not so signed
shall be
void.”’.
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