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Political Parties and Elections Bill

Political Parties and Elections Bill



The Committee consisted of the following Members:

Chairmen: Mr. Peter Atkinson, Mr. Joe Benton, Frank Cook, †Sir Nicholas Winterton
Ainger, Nick (Carmarthen, West and South Pembrokeshire) (Lab)
Djanogly, Mr. Jonathan (Huntingdon) (Con)
Duddridge, James (Rochford and Southend, East) (Con)
Grogan, Mr. John (Selby) (Lab)
Hesford, Stephen (Wirral, West) (Lab)
Howarth, David (Cambridge) (LD)
Kidney, Mr. David (Stafford) (Lab)
Laing, Mrs. Eleanor (Epping Forest) (Con)
Linton, Martin (Battersea) (Lab)
Lloyd, Tony (Manchester, Central) (Lab)
Lucas, Ian (Wrexham) (Lab)
Reid, Mr. Alan (Argyll and Bute) (LD)
Sharma, Mr. Virendra (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)
Turner, Mr. Andrew (Isle of Wight) (Con)
Tyrie, Mr. Andrew (Chichester) (Con)
Whitehead, Dr. Alan (Southampton, Test) (Lab)
Wills, Mr. Michael (Minister of State, Ministry of Justice)
Wishart, Pete (Perth and North Perthshire) (SNP)
Chris Shaw, Chris Stanton, Committee Clerks
† attended the Committee

Public Bill Committee

Tuesday 18 November 2008

(Afternoon)

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair]

Political Parties and Elections Bill

New Clause 1

Individual 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.”,
Brought up, read the First time, and motion made [this day], That the clause be read a Second time.
4.30 pm
The Chairman: I remind the Committee that with this it is convenient to consider 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.”.
Mrs. Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest) (Con): This morning, we had considerable argument, discussion and constructive consideration about what has happened in Northern Ireland. However, I reiterate that we are discussing not what should happen or has happened in Northern Ireland, but what lessons are to be learned from Northern Ireland as a pilot for what might happen throughout the rest of the United Kingdom.
As I was saying at the end of the previous sitting, there are significant differences between the situation in Northern Ireland and that in the rest of the United Kingdom. For example, in Northern Ireland, the carry-forward that previously applied was scrapped, which meant that a number of people fell off the register when they failed to re-register, as more than one Labour Member pointed out. The temporary reinstatement of the carry-forward was responsible for some 70,000 people coming back on to the register. That is an interesting illustration but the fact is that what we propose in new clause 1 would not abolish the carry-forward, so that problem would not occur.
In Northern Ireland, the annual canvass was abolished. The annual canvass, as we discussed earlier today, is an important tool to get people to register, and its abolition would have prevented some eligible people from re-registering. That is another lesson to be learned from what happened in Northern Ireland. Again, we have no plans to scrap the annual register. It is very important that there should be an annual canvass and an annual register of voters. It is one way to encourage people to vote and give them the opportunity to do so.
Before the abolition of the household registration system electoral registration in Northern Ireland was 96.6 per cent. That is unrealistically high, by its very nature. Hon. Members look puzzled, but that figure is unrealistically high. It would be miraculous if proper registration were at that level.
Dr. Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test) (Lab): The hon. Lady says that the figure is miraculous. The figure for North-West Hampshire in 2003 was 103 per cent. of the 2001 census, and that for East Hampshire was 103.1 per cent. Are those miraculous or perhaps subject to some other explanation?
 
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