Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118799, what changes he recommended for the Certificate of Visual Impairment in England; and what obligations will be placed on electoral administrators as a result of those changes.

Following discussions, including with the RNIB, I recommended widening the use of the Certificate of Visual Impairment in England to support severely sight impaired (blind) and sight impaired (partially sighted) people to participate in elections. There is no change to the support electoral administrators are required to provide to blind and partially sighted people within current statutory requirements but it increases the opportunity for people to be made aware of the services on offer and promotes communication of those services.