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24 Feb 2009 : Column 536W—continued
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of tax credit payments were made (a) into bank accounts and (b) by other payment methods in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [257187]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is provided in the following table.
| Method of payment | |||||
| Percentage of total payments | |||||
| 2008 | BACs ( T housand) | Cheque ( T housand) | BACs | Cheque | Total payments ( T housand) |
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions the Tax Credit Office has been notified by claimants of a delay in receiving payments in each of the last 12 months. [257190]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available.
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on public expenditure of removing the second income threshold on tax credits and applying a consistent taper rate of 44 per cent. while increasing the first income threshold of tax credits to (a) £6,750, (b) £7,000, (c) £7,500, (d) £8,000, (e) £8,500, (f) £9,000, (g) £9,500 and (h) £10,000 in each of the next six years; if he will estimate the number of people who would have an entitlement reduced to zero in each case; and if he will make a statement. [257195]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is available only at a disproportionate cost.
Electoral Commission Committee
Constituencies
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission has made estimates of the likely impact of under-registration on the size of the electorates in new constituencies proposed by the Boundary Commissions. [257305]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Commission informs me that it has not made any such estimates.
Electoral Register
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission has undertaken research on the effect of recent changes in the law that allow local authority electoral registration officers to consult local government databases. [257311]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Commission informs me that it has undertaken no such research. However, its performance standards for electoral registration officers include the requirement to check council tax, housing benefit and any other council records that would help them to carry out their registration duties. The Electoral Commission will publish an assessment of the performance of electoral registration officers in respect of this standard in spring 2009.
The Electoral Commission further informs me that it will also review the use and effectiveness of local government databases as part of its longer term research programme into the accuracy and completeness of electoral registers.
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what representations the Electoral Commission has received on electoral registration officers using central government databases to improve their electoral registers. [257313]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Commission informs me that in its 2002 consultation “Electoral registration: a review of the process”, it specifically sought views on whether better data-sharing between local and central Government databases would help electoral registration officers improve the accuracy of electoral registers. The Commission received 32 representations addressing this issue, from electoral registration officers, political parties and other organisations.
The Commission further informs me that many respondents to the consultation supported the principle of better gathering of data to improve the accuracy of electoral registers. However, there was considerable variance in views on, or understanding of, the extent to which this would be possible under existing law.
Electoral Register and Postal Votes
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much funding the Electoral Commission has provided for research into (a) under-registration and (b) postal vote fraud in each year since it was established. [257312]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not hold this information in the requested format. However it regularly conducts research into both registration and the security of postal voting. The following table sets out the costs of all public opinion research projects that have addressed these subjects.
| UK | |
| Financial year | Cost (£) |
The Commission has also conducted research using electoral registers to review the extent of under-registration. Costs for this are as follows:
| UK | |
| Financial year | Cost (£) |
In addition to expenditure on research, the Commission also works to identify and analyse the scale and frequency of postal voting malpractice, through monitoring electoral petitions and prosecutions for electoral offences and liaison with the police, prosecuting authorities, and electoral registration and returning officers.
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission how many meetings Electoral Commission officers have (a) initiated and (b) attended on (i) postal ballot fraud and (ii) electoral registration in each of the last five years. [257715]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Commission does not hold this information in the requested format. However, it informs me that over the past five years, Commission staff initiated or attended a number of briefings, seminars and meetings involving electoral registration officers, electoral administrators, academics, political parties, the Crown Prosecution Service, the police, Government officials and elected representatives, at which postal ballot fraud and electoral registration were discussed.
The Commission further informs me that in 2007 it hosted 10 dedicated seminars covering electoral registration across England and Wales for electoral registration officers and administrators. It has also held four national and two regional seminars for Single Point of Contact (SPOC) police officers on reducing and preventing electoral fraud, including postal ballot fraud.
Electoral Register: Marketing
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the effectiveness of its advertising campaign to raise electoral registration levels. [257321]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Commission informs me that it measures the effect of its advertising campaigns through direct response statistics such as the number of voter registration forms ordered through its telephone helpline or downloaded from its website. The Commission also undertakes independent tracking research to measure the reach of its campaigns among target audiences.
The 2006 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General to the Speaker’s Committee entitled “Is the Public Aware of Democracy” concluded that
“the Commission has used its resources in raising public awareness in general effectively when judged by measures such as recall rates and other industry measures for its advertising. There does too, seem to have been an overall positive effect on voter registration”.
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps the Electoral Commission has taken to encourage the use of doorstep canvassing in increasing levels of voter registration. [257462]
Sir Peter Viggers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 151W.
Electoral Register: Standards
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps the Electoral Commission has taken to measure the effectiveness of electoral registration officers in increasing levels of voter registration. [257461]
Sir Peter Viggers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 151W. The Electoral Commission informs me that it is in the process of assessing EROs against the published performance standards and will publish an assessment in spring 2009.
Pay
Mr. Grieve: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many bonus payments were made in 2007-08 to (a) senior civil servants and (b) other staff of the Electoral Commission; and how much was paid in total. [257745]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that there were 15 bonus payments to staff during 2007-08, totalling £23,145. The Electoral Commission is independent of Government and its staff are not civil servants.
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