Oral Answers to Questions

Jeremy Wright Excerpts

Thursday 3rd September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

8. What assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the potential merits of introducing legal protections for the use of minority languages in election materials.

[Sir Jeremy Wright (Kenilworth and Southam)]

The Electoral Commission has made no formal assessment of this. It would be a matter for Parliament to introduce such legal protections. It is prescribed in law that poll cards and ballot papers must be provided in English or Welsh, but there are no other prescribed language requirements relating to election materials. The commission translates voter materials, including voter registration forms, into a range of languages, informed by census data and community insights on voter needs.

[Perran Moon]

Meur ras ha myttin da, Mr Speaker. Since January this year, Kernewek, the Cornish language, has enjoyed part III protection under the European charter for regional or minority languages, alongside Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. In the light of that recognition, what steps can the Electoral Commission take to review its policies and guidance to ensure that Cornish speakers are not treated less favourably in elections than speakers of other protected minority languages?

[Sir Jeremy Wright]

I apologise to the hon. Gentleman that I cannot respond to him in Cornish.

[Mr Speaker]

Try!

[Sir Jeremy Wright]

I will not try, Mr Speaker. As the hon. Gentleman may know, the Electoral Commission is in discussion with his local authority at the moment, and I know it would welcome any further representations —[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Mr Perkins, you just walked right in front of the Member who is asking the question.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

There is something going wrong with the House. Can we please get back to remembering our courtesies to other Members when they are asking questions?

[Sir Jeremy Wright]

I know the Electoral Commission will welcome any further representations that the hon. Member for Camborne and Redruth (Perran Moon) wants to make. As I say, the commission keeps the languages it chooses to translate materials into under review.

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