Oral Answers to Questions

Huw Merriman Excerpts

Wednesday 5th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[Kevin Foster]

Legislation allows returning officers to use schools as polling places to ensure sufficient provision of polling places. The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that there needs to be a balance, particularly because we need to find accessible buildings and in some cases schools will be the only ones, but there should be a discussion between returning officers and schools to ensure that the burden of this requirement is not too great.

[Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

T4. Is it not time we gave 16 and 17-year-olds the vote so that they are empowered to use their voice?

[Kevin Foster]

The vast majority of liberal democracies worldwide, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, consider 18 the right age at which to enfranchise young people. Parliament has debated the question of lowering the voting age in a number of contexts and has repeatedly voted against doing so.