Electoral Registration

Debate between Gary Streeter and Chris Ruane

Wednesday 4th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon) (Con)]

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Mr Allen), who speaks with great expertise on this subject. He makes the case that we need to do all we can to get people to register to vote in this country, and I completely agree, but I believe we are doing that by all methods possible, as I shall come on to demonstrate. However, I completely agree with his wider point about engagement; we need to find new ways forward. I will read his report tomorrow with great interest.

Sadly, there always are and always have been a substantial number of people who do not register to vote—whatever the system, and in every democratic country—no matter what their persuasion. Different figures are bandied about because it is an imprecise science: we can count the people on the register, but we cannot count those who do not register. As of July 2014, before the shift to individual voter registration started, at least 6 million people were not on the register.

[Chris Ruane]

Seven and a half million.

[Mr Streeter]

I am talking about 2014.

[Chris Ruane]

So am I.

[Mr Streeter]

Goodbye.

The figure the hon. Gentleman gives is the snapshot of the number of unregistered people as of 1 December. I have to say that he ruins my weekends. He tables at least 400 written questions every week, and I have to spend my weekends reading through the answers. Of course, it is great fun. My wife is convinced that I am having some kind of illicit relationship with him. [Interruption.] Not a pleasant thought.

[Chris Ruane]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Will the hon. Gentleman clarify what he has just said?

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

I do not think anybody needs to clarify the relationship between you and Mr Streeter.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Streeter]

Yes, we have, and the right hon. Gentleman will be pleased to learn that the Electoral Commission hit its target in the run-up to the last general election. I am pretty confident that it will do so again.

[Chris Ruane]

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

[Mr Streeter]

I cannot give way again; I have only 29 seconds left.

I hope that the House will recognise that there is a great deal of activity already under way or about to happen that is likely to increase voter registration dramatically. We also have a responsibility ourselves to take our great communication skills to our constituencies and to get the message across to everyone out there: register to vote—don’t lose your voice!