Oral Answers to Questions

Karl McCartney Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Ben Gummer]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this important matter. I direct businesses to look at the cyber essentials pack on the National Cyber Security Centre website, which details the essentials of what businesses can do to protect themselves. The NCSC’s purpose is to ensure that businesses that work with government adhere to the same high standards of cyber-security that the Government expect of themselves.

[Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)]

2. What steps he is taking to help victims of domestic abuse exercise their right to vote.

[Nusrat Ghani (Wealden) (Con)]

5. What steps he is taking to help victims of domestic abuse exercise their right to vote.

--- Later in debate ---

[Karl MᶜCartney]

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer and welcome any moves towards making it easier for both men and women who have suffered domestic abuse to register to vote. Will he outline further what changes he is making, and confirm that the names and addresses of those men and women who are registering anonymously will not be on the electoral register?

[Chris Skidmore]

I can confirm to my hon. Friend that names and addresses do not appear on the electoral register as a result of the application to register anonymously. The Government are proposing to make it easier for an applicant to demonstrate that their safety is at risk by expanding the type of documentary evidence required and the people who can attest to this, and as part of the consultation process we are looking at every point of contact that the survivors of domestic abuse come across to make sure that they exercise their right to vote.