Electoral Administration Bill

I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, and I absolutely accept the principle behind what he is seeking to do, which is to put all the work that we are doing in this part of the Bill into the right context. My difficulty with the amendment is simply that I believe that what it sets out is implicit both in what was said in the Representation of the People Act 1983 and in what we are doing in this Bill. As noble Lords would expect, I have looked to see where we can improve the Bill to ensure that EROs understand their responsibilities and that the legislation properly reflects what people are required to do. The 1983 Act said that each registration officer shall maintain a register of parliamentary electors for each constituency, or part of a constituency, for the area in which he acts. Accuracy is implicit; we are not suggesting that they set up an inaccurate record. So, although the point is well made—and I am grateful to the noble Lord—I ask him to withdraw the amendment on the ground that the desire for a register to be as accurate as it practically can be is implicit in everything that we are doing in this part of the Bill, as well as in the 1983 Act. There is no dispute between us in principle. In legislative terms, it is implicit that, if you keep a register, it should be accurate.