European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill

Debate between Mark Harper and Lord Tyrie

Committee: 1st sitting: House of Commons
Monday 6th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Harper]

If Members will forgive me, I shall make a little progress.

[Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Harper]

I will give way to the Chairman of the Treasury Committee, but then I must make some progress.

[Mr Tyrie]

My right hon. Friend would agree, however, that other nationals should not be treated as bargaining chips, and I am sure he would also be aware that the Treasury Committee has heard a good deal of evidence to suggest that the failure to guarantee the rights of EU nationals is now beginning to damage the economy. Given that, and the overwhelming ethical case, does he not agree, on reflection, that the time has come just to protect those EU citizens’ rights?

[Mr Harper]

I completely agree on the value to the economy. I also agree on this being an urgent matter, and I heard the Prime Minister say exactly that this afternoon. If I may conclude my remarks about EU nationals, perhaps my right hon. Friend the Member for Chichester (Mr Tyrie) will see why I do not think precipitate action is very wise. It could open up a range of complexities which, far from putting people’s minds at rest and making things better, could make things worse.

Individual Electoral Registration

Debate between Mark Harper and Lord Tyrie

Wednesday 15th September 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Harper]

While we are looking into data-matching, we are also going to look at other public databases—the hon. Gentleman has just mentioned a couple—to see whether, using that information, we can contact people who are eligible to vote but who are not on the register. They could then be contacted to check their further eligibility—their citizenship, for example—and encouraged to register to vote. The hon. Gentleman has made a useful and worthwhile point.

[Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester) (Con)]

I warmly welcome this statement. It is long overdue, and I am very glad that we are now going to have individual voter registration. I hope that the Government will also make a statement shortly on postal voting. Postal voting on demand has undoubtedly increased fraud. Will the Government look into that, and will they take some action to curb it?

[Mr Harper]

My hon. Friend would not expect me to anticipate future announcements. Today’s proposals represent one stage in improving the electoral system, and we shall be looking at others in the future. I have heard what he has said, and I shall think on it some more.