Oral Answers to Questions

Gary Streeter Excerpts

Thursday 17th July 2014 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

2. What steps the Electoral Commission is taking to improve registration of UK voters resident in Europe, North America, Israel, the far east and Australasia; and if he will make a statement.

[Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon)]

The commission runs awareness campaigns to encourage expatriates to register in advance of all elections in which they may vote. These are predominantly online campaigns aimed at countries with the highest number of British expats. Thanks to the introduction of individual electoral registration, overseas electors can now register online and no longer require another British passport holder to countersign the registration form. That change, supported by the commission, should make it easier for overseas voters to register.

[Michael Fabricant]

I am very grateful for that answer. Online registration is good news for Brits overseas. My hon. Friend will know that there are some 1.4 million Brits in Australasia and the United States, and 43,000 in Israel. How is he going to advertise the fact that online registration is available to them?

[Mr Streeter]

The Electoral Commission will continue to get the message across with targeted press releases to English-language papers and radio stations in the countries where there are large numbers of expats, but its predominant means of seeking to do so is through online campaigning and advertising on websites most likely to be read by expats. Of course, all of us who use social media—my hon. Friend is very skilled at using it—can get this simple message across: “You can now register online!”

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman should always be careful not to put divisible propositions to the House. I will leave it there.

[Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)]

It is important to allow British citizens living abroad to register to vote, but it is also important that they are able to cast that vote and that it can be counted in good time. What discussions is the hon. Gentleman having with the Electoral Commission to improve the ability of people living abroad to have their vote counted?

[Mr Streeter]

That is a very good point. This is about not just registration but getting the paperwork to the expat so that they can fill it in as a postal vote and send it back in time. The period for so doing has been extended under recent legislation, and that should make a real difference at the next general election.

The right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—

--- Later in debate ---

[Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton) (Con)]

4. What progress has been made on introducing individual electoral registration in the last six months.

[Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon)]

The transition to individual electoral registration in England and Wales started on 10 June, and it will begin in Scotland on 19 September. Online electoral registration is now available in England and Wales, and electoral registration officers have begun writing to electors to tell them whether they need to provide any more information to register under the new system. To support the work of EROs and to help to raise awareness of the transition, the Electoral Commission launched a mass media advertising campaign in early July, which will run until 10 August.

[Neil Parish]

I very much welcome my hon. Friend’s answer. Is not the key to registration to be able to do it as close as possible to elections, but to make sure that it is absolutely secure, so that we know that people who want to vote are genuine voters?

[Mr Streeter]

As usual, my hon. Friend is quite right. Anyone seeking to register online must provide not only their name and address, of course, but their national insurance number. I hope that that will help young people in particular to register, as long as they can ask their parents for their national insurance number.

The right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

7. Which groups of voters the Electoral Commission assesses as being least likely to register to vote following the introduction of individual electoral registration.

[Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon)]

The commission’s research shows that the key groups who were less likely to be registered to vote under the previous household registration system were younger people, private renters, home movers and people from certain black and minority ethnic communities. Following the introduction of individual electoral registration, the public awareness campaign will focus particularly on those groups. The Electoral Commission will closely monitor and report on progress throughout the transition to IER, including action taken by electoral registration officers to target under-registered groups. Online electoral registration will also help to make the registration process more convenient for all groups.

[Mr Hollobone]

Will those particular groups be targeted by the Electoral Commission, and how often will the House be updated on progress?

[Mr Streeter]

The multi-media advertising campaign is indeed targeted on groups less likely to be on the register, but it is for our electoral registration officers to decide what campaign they run in their own locality. My advice to all Members of Parliament is to sit down with the ERO in their locality and to make sure that the campaign they are planning for the next six months is adequate and that registration reaches the hardest-to-reach groups.

[Mr Speaker]

I call John Pugh. Not here.