Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Harper and Amber Rudd

Tuesday 22nd May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye) (Con)]

4. What steps he is taking to improve the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr Mark Harper)]

We are bringing forward our Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, which has its Second Reading in the House tomorrow, to improve the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.

[Amber Rudd]

How does my hon. Friend expect individual voter registration to help with efforts to get more disabled people and young people registered to vote?

[Mr Harper]

It is certainly true that there has been a lot of focus on the possible risks to this approach. When we debate Second Reading tomorrow, I hope that colleagues will see that we have taken a lot of steps to deal with that. However, there are also a number of opportunities, one of which is through the online registration system that we are introducing. We hope that disabled people, particularly those with visual impairments, will find it more convenient and easier to register. We may therefore find that, among certain groups, we have a better chance of getting people registered to vote and able to exercise their democratic rights.