Question

To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what checks are undertaken to ascertain whether candidates for election to (a) the House of Commons and (b) local authorities are on the sex offenders register.

A person is disqualified from being elected to a local authority in England and Wales if they are on the sex offenders register at the time of their nomination and on polling day.

The Scottish Government is consulting on introducing a similar disqualification for Scottish local government elections. There is not currently a similar disqualification in place in Northern Ireland, or for UK parliamentary candidates.

It is the candidate's responsibility, not the Returning Officer's, to ensure that the information they submit on their nomination papers is correct. If a candidate decides to stand despite not meeting the eligibility criteria, this would be a matter for the police.