Electoral Register

Thursday 3rd July 2014 Ministerial Corrections

[Chris Ruane]

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will consider the merits of ring-fencing funds allocated by his Office to local government for the purpose of voter registration.

[Official Report, 12 May 2014, Vol. 580, c. 359W.]

Letter of correction from Greg Clark:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane) on 12 May 2014.

The full answer given was as follows:

[Greg Clark]

Both the paper forms and the new online registration channel to be used under individual electoral registration have been designed to meet a wide range of accessibility needs. The Government has no current plans to commission such research, but the Electoral Commission is currently aiming to publish its assessment of registration rates under individual electoral registration in July 2016.

The correct answer should have been:

[Greg Clark]

In the 2010 spending review, the Government ended ring-fencing of all main revenue grants from 2011-12. The removal of ring-fencing from local government grants has given councils the freedom over the money they receive and allows them to work with their residents to decide how best to make their spending decisions.

As part of the preparation for the transition to individual electoral registration (IER), the Government has paid grants to EROs and in advance of this sought a signed declaration from all Section 151 officers in local authorities in England and Wales, and electoral registration officers in Scotland, agreeing that they would not reduce the level of funding to electoral registration over the transition to IER.