Voter Registration Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Voter Registration

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Excerpts
Wednesday 25th January 2017

(7 years, 3 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Lord Young of Cookham
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That goes way beyond my negotiating brief and takes us into very difficult territory about the future of the common travel area in Northern Ireland. I repeat that we have had a debate about ID cards and the Government have made their position clear. We are not minded to introduce them in the UK.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Portrait Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Lab)
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My Lords, have the Government done any calculations about the demographics of the electorate in coming years? Can the Government give any idea of the number of people aged 18 who will be joining the electoral register and the rate of attrition among older people who will be leaving the electoral register?

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Lord Young of Cookham
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The short answer is no. But the noble Baroness will be pleased to hear that, since IER was introduced, 5.7 million people between the ages of 16 and 24 have joined the register, so we have had some success in getting that end of the register backfilled. So far as the other half of her question is concerned, I will have to write to her.