Electoral Administration Bill

moved Amendment No. 79:"After Clause 14, insert the following new clause—" ““INCORPORATION OF PERSONAL IDENTIFIERS (1)   In the first two annual canvasses following the coming into force of this Act, provision shall be made on each canvass form for each person registering to provide the personal identifiers as specified in section 14. (2)   Each canvass form shall contain a form of words specifying that the provision of personal identifiers is voluntary, except in respect of the conditions specified in subsection (3). (3)   Each canvass form shall contain a form of words specifying that the provision of personal identifiers is necessary if the person registering applies subsequently for a postal ballot. (4)   After the first annual canvass under subsection (1), the Electoral Commission shall report to the Secretary of State on the effect of the inclusion of personal identifiers, encompassing— (a)   the proportion of electors supplying personal identifiers; (b)   the effect on registration; (c)   such other criteria as the Secretary of State may specify.”” The noble Lord said: I will attempt to be brief. I suspect that there may be a correlation between the length of the amendment and the length of speeches. As the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, said, different models are being offered, so this is a contribution to that. It is my modest contribution to what is becoming rather a crowded field. In the light of many of the things that have been said, I can be fairly succinct in addressing it. It is a compromise. Along with my noble friend Lady Hanham and others, I would like to move straight to the national application of the use of personal identifiers. But if we are not going to get there, this is offered as a compromise which I hope may commend itself to the Government. I appreciate that that is a rather forlorn hope, even though I draw attention to the fact that it introduces a voluntary element but with a compulsory dimension. The amendment really seeks to address two problems that I see in the Bill. One is the problem of the pilots. To be effective for piloting purposes, particular areas need to be designated and of a population size to permit rigorous evaluation. The problem with the way the Bill is drafted is that it cannot guarantee it. I am trying therefore to get away from that problem. The second flaw relates to postal voting, which has been discussed in some detail in Committee. As we know, people applying for a postal vote will need to supply a signature, but there will be nothing to compare it against. This provision seems to have slipped in in the Commons without fully realising its implications. The new clause is designed to address both problems in a way that I hope is fairly self-evident. The clause also provides that the Electoral Commission shall evaluate the effect of the scheme on registration, so the provisions that I propose can look at the effect of the numbers supplying personal identifiers. It is designed to provide an element of flexibility and to address some of the problems that the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, identified at the beginning of his speech, which derived from the publication to which he drew attention. So we will move flexibly, but towards achieving the ultimate national roll-out. Unless there is a major problem, the requirement to supply personal identifiers can take effect in 2000. The new clause is fairly self-evident. Rather than repeat points already made by Members of the Committee which this amendment seeks to address, I will not take up the time of the Committee. But it was worth putting the proposal forward. As Gus would have said in ““Drop The Dead Donkey””, ““I think I’ll run it up the flagpole and see who salutes””. I beg to move.