Question

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of local authorities whose canvassers are declining to collect completed individual electoral registration forms on the doorstep.

The Electoral Commission does not record information on local authorities whose canvassers are not collecting completed forms on the doorstep. The Commission guidance does, however, make clear how Electoral Registration Officers should approach collecting registration forms on the doorstep.

Registration forms contain sensitive personal information (including National Insurance numbers and dates of birth), so canvassers will need to ensure that the forms are kept secure at all times. A number of EROs have chosen to equip their canvassers with tablets or smartphones to allow electors to submit applications directly through the www.gov.uk/register-to-vote website.

Additionally, whenever a form is left with an elector there is a legal requirement for them to be provided with a freepost return envelope. This means that, in order to minimise the risks to electors’ data, the application can be posted either by the applicant or the canvasser.