Representation of the People (National Assembly for Wales) (Access to Election Documents) Regulations 2007

rose to move, that the draft regulations laid before the House on 7 March be approved. The noble Baroness said: My Lords, since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999, it has been the practice for all election documents, after the completion of the count and the declaration of results, to be forwarded to the Assembly. This was in line with the practice at parliamentary elections, where documents were forwarded to the Clerk ofthe Crown. In future, documents relating both to parliamentary and Assembly elections will be stored by the local electoral registration officer, which will be more convenient for those who have a valid interest in inspecting them. However, because they contain personal information, it is important that access is limited to cases that can be justified on the grounds of democratic accountability and openness. Last December, my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs made regulations that insert a new Part 7 into the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, setting out rules for the inspection, supply and sale of the marked electoral register, the marked postal voters list, and other election documents that are open to public inspection after a parliamentary election. As a matter of principle, we intend similar rules to apply to Assembly election documents, so the purpose of the regulations before us is to apply those rules, with appropriate modifications, to Assembly documents. The main objective is to allow registered parties and candidates to request marked copies of the electoral register, the postal voters list, and the lists of proxies and proxy postal voters used at elections in which they have taken part. Those and other election documents will be open to public inspection. Thiswill not extend to ballot papers or completed corresponding number lists, which could be usedto establish how an individual has voted, or to certificates of employment of police officers or election staff. Inspection will be subject to strict conditions. Requests must be made in writing, specifying the documents to be inspected and the reasons for doing so. Inspection can be made only under supervision, and the information obtained can be used only for purposes specified in the regulations, which can be broadly summarised as law enforcement, research, and electoral purposes. Presenting the regulations in this way is the best way of applying similar rules to parliamentary and Assembly elections in a clear and open manner. I commend the draft regulations to the House. I beg to move. Moved, That the draft regulations laid beforethe House on 7 March be approved. 12th Reportfrom the Statutory Instruments Committee.—(Baroness Morgan of Drefelin.)