Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU General Data Protection Regulation on the roles and responsibilities of Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers; and what steps the Government is taking to communicate the effect of such changes to Returning Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and their staff.

The Electoral Commission has a statutory role to provide guidance to Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers. It is working closely with the Information Commissioner's Office, the Association of Electoral Administrators, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Scottish Assessors Association to develop guidance on the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Bill currently being considered in the House of Lords on the electoral administration responsibilities of Registration Officers and Returning Officers.