Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
Debate between Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick and Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)
My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for presenting this statutory instrument and declare an interest as a member of the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee of your Lordships’ House.
Elections are undoubtedly fundamental to our democracy, no more so than in Northern Ireland, where I have participated in district council, Assembly and Westminster parliamentary elections. They are fundamental to strengthening our democracy and, as the noble Lord, Lord Rogan, referred to, they have also been subject to abuse. Some of our political parties in Northern Ireland, along with their candidates, have been subjected to that abuse through voter fraud. That area requires further investigation.
I support this SI because it provides an opportunity for the retained voters—some 87,000 people—to remain on the register for a further three years. However, I exhort those people, after all the hard work that political parties do, to ensure that they have contacted the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland headquarters in Belfast to verify their presence and say whether it is actual or not. What level of consultation has taken place with political parties regarding the retained electors and the welcome extension? What is the breakdown among the 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland?
In further legislation, statutory photographic voter identification needs to be made tougher and, maybe, more transparent, as some of us who were candidates found to our cost. People who wanted to vote at a parliamentary election in June 2017 told me that they had turned up at 7 am with their proper identification, but their votes had already been taken by others. How did that happen when there was photographic ID? There needs to be greater protection against electoral fraud.
While I welcome and participated in online registration, I would like to find out what percentage of the electorate take up online registration and how successful it has been in the make-up of the register. Bear in mind that some people are transient and move from one house to another; they are entitled to vote, but there is a need for an exhortation to them to clarify their position directly with the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland to prevent electoral officers having to do this type of work.
I would also support any attempt in forthcoming legislation to lower the age of voting from 18 to 16, because I believe that that would build a democratic base among young people in understanding the role of politics in our society.
Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (UUP)
My Lords, every vote counts. That is one of the things that we hear regularly coming up to an election, particularly in Northern Ireland. I am well aware of that because, in my former constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, at one stage an election was won by four votes. When it went to court, three votes were excluded, so it was won by one vote. I have been in contests with very narrow margins.
Quite a lot of illegal activity goes on at election time in Northern Ireland, believe it or not. One case concerned a polling station in Garrison, County Fermanagh, which was kept open for an extra 20 minutes by a group of supporters of a political party to allow their people to get in and provide extra votes for their candidate.
Dog Fighting
Debate between Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick and Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard(8 years, 7 months ago)
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Ms Margaret Ritchie (South Down) (SDLP)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I congratulate the hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Dr Cameron) on securing a debate on such a vital issue, and I agree with what the hon. Member for Southport (John Pugh) has just said. In the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs we are conducting an inquiry into animal welfare, and there seems to be a direct correlation between dog fighting, the abuse of animals and the culture in neighbourhoods that frightens off people but is also destructive to animals.
It should hardly need to be said that dog fighting has no place in any civilised society. The fear and pain that fighting dogs suffer on a daily basis are difficult to contemplate. It constitutes an appalling breach of the trust that dogs have in their masters and the responsibility that we all have as human beings. That criminal violence, which is what dog fighting is, goes on to hurt communities, promoting lawlessness and frightening people on their own streets, particularly in impoverished areas. Given the callous mentality it requires, it is no surprise that where we see dog fighting, we often see links to other kinds of criminality and abusive behaviour. That is something that all Members of this House—and indeed, the vast majority of the public—can agree on, but the League Against Cruel Sports estimates that dog fighting takes place in Britain and Northern Ireland at least once every day. That is completely unacceptable.
I pay tribute to the League Against Cruel Sports for the academic work it has done to establish clear evidence of the extent of dog fighting. Given the difficulty in extrapolating specific dog-fighting statistics from the general animal fighting statistics, without the League’s work this debate may not have been possible.
Tom Elliott (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) (UUP)
Will the hon. Lady give way?
Ms Ritchie
I will not, as I am anxious about the time because other Members want to speak, but I understand that the hon. Gentleman’s basic concerns will not be unlike mine and those of other Members from Northern Ireland. Even though we have certain, more restrictive legislation, it is only as effective as the enforcement that takes place.
It is important that the elements of the Wooler report are implemented quickly and effectively, and I look forward to the Select Committee report on animal welfare, which will concentrate on dogs, cats and horses.