Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

Lord King of Bridgwater Excerpts

Monday 20th December 2010 Lords Chamber

First, how do the Government envisage this system will work? In particular, do they envisage that the returning officer will make an announcement after each round of counting? Secondly, what is the purpose of doing it in this way? Thirdly, why not wait until the end of the count to make public how it went at each stage? I should make it clear that I do not for one moment suggest that the individual candidates and their representatives should not be told how each round has gone after each round so that they can legitimately question any aspect of what has happened in that round, but I would be keen to know what the reasons were. That may be perfectly justified, but my goodness me it will make it an extremely complicated and long drawn-out evening and next morning if you insist—I am not saying that this is the wrong thing, I just want to hear the reasons—that at each stage there be a public announcement of where it has got to. This amendment seeks to probe the Government’s picture of how this will work, their thinking behind it and how much it will elongate the process.

[Lord King of Bridgwater]

Do I understand the noble and learned Lord to be actually suggesting that instead of this being made publicly available, it should be given to the representatives of the candidates so that it can be done by leak?

[Lord Falconer of Thoroton]

A lot of information is given to candidates and their representatives at the moment that is not leaked, entirely legitimately, and not made public. I would like to hear the Government’s position on this.