Political Parties and Elections Bill

My Lords, it may be appropriate if I respond to the Minister’s speech in moving the amendment. I very much welcome Amendment 26 tabled by the Minister and to which I have added my name. The amendment has the support of the Electoral Commission. The amendment meets the points I raised in Committee. It helps contribute to what the noble Lord, Lord Tyler, referred to in Committee as the clarity of purpose of the Electoral Commission. As it stands, the 2000 Act imposes a duty on the commission to promote awareness of systems of government and of the institutions of the EU. The amendment removes these duties, enabling the commission to focus on raising public awareness of electoral systems and, as the Minister stressed, matters connected. As the Electoral Commission puts it in its own briefing: ""The Commission’s main focus is already on electoral systems—encouraging and explaining voter registration and providing information on how to take part in elections. The amendment would allow the Commission to continue to provide some information on systems of government and democratic institutions where this is important in explaining the relevance of the democratic process, while also providing a clearer focus"." I am grateful to the Minister for having listened to the case advanced in Committee and for bringing forward the amendment. My amendment, Amendment 27, seeks to ensure that reports from the Electoral Commission, made under Section 6 of the 2000 Act, are responded to by the Secretary of State in writing within six months or for there to be an explanation of why it has not been possible to do so. The amendment has the support of the Electoral Commission and enjoyed cross-party support in Grand Committee. The only resistance came from the Minister, who argued that for the Secretary of State to have to write and explain if a response was not forthcoming after six months would impose a bureaucratic burden. The reaction to that argument from other Members of the Committee persuaded the Minister of the need to reconsider. He has clearly done so. I therefore welcome the commitment of the Government to respond to commission reports within six months. It delivers what I sought to achieve in my amendment. Perhaps the Minister would confirm that the commitment extends to reports made by the commission under Section 5 of the Act as well as Section 6. My amendment was confined to Section 6, but the commission has said in its briefing that it would welcome the commitment covering reports made on elections and referendums. If the Minister is able to confirm that, it will be extremely helpful. I commend the Minister for the constructive responses to both the amendments I moved in Committee. What he has brought forward meets the points I advanced. I think these changes help the Electoral Commission in fulfilling its core purposes.