Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

Debate between Lord Pannick and Lord Davies of Stamford

Tuesday 1st February 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Pannick]

I respectfully take the noble Lord’s point. I therefore assume that in the proper exercise of the discretion rightly given to it by paragraph 9 (2), the Electoral Commission will be preparing material which it may decide is appropriate to send to members of the public. But that is a matter for the commission.

[Lord Davies of Stamford]

As the point has already been made, there is no reference to summarising anything in this paragraph. It says:

“The Electoral Commission may take whatever steps they think appropriate to provide information”.

I hope the noble Lord agrees with me that that could equally well cover my proposal of arranging for the distribution of material produced by, for example, the organisations running the two campaigns. It is very important that we make it clear that there is that possibility there. That is encompassed within the existing text. The suggestion of summarising something, or producing pamphlets, is an additional issue that we are raising today in the course of debating these amendments.

[Lord Pannick]

I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Stamford, and that is why I am perfectly content with the existing wording which gives a free discretion to the Electoral Commission to take such steps as it thinks appropriate in all the circumstances as they transpire. We are making heavy weather of this.