Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 3 July (HL3), what discussions, if any, they have had with (1) the Police Service for Northern Ireland, and (2) the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland, regarding evidence of abuse of the proxy voting system in Northern Ireland during the last General Election; and what are the details of those discussions.

The administration of proxy votes, including any related engagement with the PSNI, is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer.

The Chief Electoral Officer has regular discussions with Government Ministers and officials on a range of issues relating to elections and electoral registration, including absent voting procedures.

The Chief Electoral Officer is currently carrying out an administrative review of all operational procedures in respect of absent voting in Northern Ireland and the Government will consider carefully any recommendations that result from this review.