Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Christian Matheson Excerpts
Wednesday 9th December 2015

(8 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Oliver Letwin Portrait Mr Letwin
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We are fully committed to bringing more under-represented groups into electoral participation. That is why we are working with Operation Black Vote and other such groups to bring people in from the black and minority ethnic communities. I also draw my hon. Friend’s attention to the very interesting experiment being tried at Sheffield University to nudge the student population to sign up for an automatic registration system. We are looking very carefully at that.

Christian Matheson Portrait Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab)
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T7. If it does indeed transpire that there are fewer people on the new electoral register after the introduction of independent electoral registration, will the Government consider that to be a success or a failure?

Oliver Letwin Portrait Mr Letwin
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I think what the hon. Gentleman is missing is the fact that, as a result of the measures that have been taken, people who were not at the addresses at which they had previously been registered will be eliminated. The creation of an accurate register is an aim of democracy, not a defect of democracy.