Electoral Administration Bill

As things stand, I am still minded to accept the amendment on the basis that I believe that it achieves what all noble Lords want. I am happy to ensure that my noble friend is given the best possible advice so that he is satisfied. If he remains dissatisfied, of course he is perfectly at liberty to come back on this point. But I think that we have achieved what we want. The noble Lord, Lord Greaves, makes a wider point, which is understandable. We want to make sure that these things are done. However, we want to ensure that we do not ask people to do things that are completely unnecessary. We believe that the wording takes a better approach and I am grateful to the noble Lord. I turn now to the other amendments in the group. The noble Lord, Lord Greaves, concentrated on two of his amendments and I propose to do the same in my response. We come back to the debate over what is implicit and what is explicit. The noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, said that some people are happy to fill in forms while others never do so. I am a person who cannot fill in a form, so I understand the position. We recognise that it is important to ensure that the duties of our electoral registration officers are right and it is implicit in Clause 9 that they have to take all necessary steps to maintain their registers. That means that they have to act on information they receive that will help them to carry out this duty. Again, I sense that the recurring theme of the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, this afternoon is how to translate what we all desire: universality of approach, which it is a positive thing if people are committed to keeping the register as up-to-date and accurate as possible; adding to the register those who are not on it; making sure that we act properly upon information; and ensuring that people who should not be on the register are taken off. We are all in the same place. However, the fact that we are all in the same place means that I approach this by asking the practical question: how do we make people do this? The noble Lord said that waving the legislation at them may help. I do not believe that. I have never seriously believed that the way to galvanise people’s hearts and minds into making a commitment and taking action is by waving legislation at them. It never worked for me when I was on the receiving end. What does work is a solid framework that states, ““This is a responsibility””, which can be taken forward with what in this case will be our electoral registration officers, many of whom do a fantastic job. However, some operate in quite difficult areas, which I think also lay behind what the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, said. In areas with a multiplicity of different dwellings, where there are frequent changes to the personnel in a household, people move on and so forth, it can be quite difficult. Those are important issues that we must recognise and find ways to resolve. At this point I am sure that the noble Lord, Lord Hanningfield, would talk about resources, and he would be right to do so. However, it is also about making sure that people are operating within the right framework. I do not object to the amendments in that sense, but we would not add them to the Bill because they are implicit in the duty. I am perfectly willing to say to the noble Lord that I accept the principle of what he is trying to achieve, because it is important. Turning to Amendment No. 44, I agree entirely that officers should make full use of the records available to them when compiling the electoral register. For all the reasons that the noble Lord knows already, the registrar keeps records of births, deaths and marriages. We can look at other ways of using the available information. People assume that we do that. My right honourable friend in another place, Harriet Harman, said that a mum might ask, ““Why didn’t you put my 18 year-old on the register because you have just written to her to say that her benefits have been stopped? Why is she not automatically included?”” People make the assumption that we are using this information. But—and I would say this because I am responsible for data protection—we may use it only in the context of constant liaison with the Information Commissioner’s Office so that it is used properly and appropriately. Proposed new Section 9A(2)(d) captures what the noble Lord is seeking to achieve in legislative form. I accept entirely that from there must now spring the practical ways in which we take this forward so that records are appropriately, rather than inappropriately, used. That is very important and underpins why we are working with the Information Commissioner. Again, there is a lot of agreement in principle. Long after the Bill becomes law—as I hope it will—I shall be very happy to keep Parliament and the noble Lord informed about how we turn the legislation into practical reality on the ground and to look at ways in which we ensure that we support electoral registration officers properly. I am very happy to do that, but I hope that the noble Lord will not move the amendment at this point.