Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government supports the continued existence of the edited electoral register.

The Government considered the future of the edited (or open) register in 2013 and concluded that it should be retained. The Government concluded that there are wide societal and economic benefits to the edited register. These include allowing businesses to check the identity and address details of people who wish to purchase their goods or services. The Government saw no convincing evidence that the sale of the edited register - from which anyone can quickly and easily opt out - has a negative impact on registration rates.