UK Parliament / Open data

Electoral Administration Bill

Debate on bills and Committee proceeding on Tuesday, 21 March 2006, in the House of Lords.
Electoral Administration Bill. Lords Committee stage third day. Grand Committee off the floor of the House (Moses Room). Clauses 13 to 22 agreed to, clauses 15 and 20 agreed to as amended.

About these Parliamentary proceedings

Reference

680 c71-136GC 

Session

2005-06

Department

Department for Constitutional Affairs
Committee of the Whole House (HL)

Legislative stage

Committee stage

Procedure

New clauses

Chamber / Committee

House of Lords Grand Committee

Related items

Electoral Administration Bill. Brought from the Commons. Explanatory Notes HL Bill 58-EN also published.
Thursday, 12 January 2006
Bills
House of Commons

Proceeding contributions

Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c129GC (Link to this contribution) From people in your Lib Dem party?
Lord Goodhart | 680 c122-3GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 97:"After Clause 20, insert the following new clause—" ““VOTING AGE (1)   The ...

Show all contributions (143)
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c124-5GC (Link to this contribution) I agree that it is a very useful debate and it is appropriate that I come in at this point to put a ...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c94GC (Link to this contribution) Was not the intention behind the pilots to get more people to vote? Is not the noble Lord seeing som...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c84-6GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 70:"Page 12, line 36, at end insert—" ““(2A)   In relation to England and Wale...
Lord Greaves | 680 c111-3GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 90A:"Page 16, line 26, leave out from ““(2)”” to end of line 28." The noble Lor...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c111GC (Link to this contribution) I am worried about the noble Baroness paying her congestion charge. Does she need to leave?
Lord Greaves | 680 c106-7GC (Link to this contribution) I can tell the noble Baroness that they were considering things like postal voting—and they rejected...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c99-100GC (Link to this contribution) I did not comment before because I wanted to hear what the noble Baroness had to say. My noble frien...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c104GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the noble Baroness for explaining the detail of her amendment. We have already made...
Lord Goodhart | 680 c132-3GC (Link to this contribution) I expected this to be an interesting debate with very different views expressed, and, indeed, it has...
Baroness Lockwood | 680 c136GC (Link to this contribution) The Grand Committee stands adjourned until Thursday 23 March at 2 pm.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c73GC (Link to this contribution) As the noble Lord will probably know, we have already decided in Committee that a number of issues r...
Lord Lucas | 680 c72-3GC (Link to this contribution) I am very grateful for the Minister’s answer, which is entirely what I had hoped for. We need to han...
Lord Greaves | 680 c81-2GC (Link to this contribution) I am very grateful for that, which is a bit stronger. I will press on. I was interested in what the...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c81GC (Link to this contribution) The purpose of the provision was simply to give the flexibility so that, if it was felt important to...
Lord Greaves | 680 c130GC (Link to this contribution) The noble Lord tells me that it was in 1969; it was certainly before the 1970 election.
Earl of Listowel | 680 c123-4GC (Link to this contribution) I apologise most sincerely for not being present when the noble Lord moved the amendment, but I just...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c126-7GC (Link to this contribution) It is really straining the level of credulity to think that the percentage of voting will improve in...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c128GC (Link to this contribution) I respond to my noble friend by explaining my point. I was not saying that we should rely on public ...
Lord Lucas | 680 c127-8GC (Link to this contribution) I shall not agree with my noble friend on this occasion, having added my name to the amendment. When...
Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville | 680 c119GC (Link to this contribution) I do not want my remarks to be misunderstood as a bilateral contribution to my Front Bench spokesman...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c118GC (Link to this contribution) I shall resist the temptation to digress too far in response to some of the points made by the noble...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c99GC (Link to this contribution) I love the reference to ““Drop The Dead Donkey””—one of my favourite series. I shall have to think o...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c95-7GC (Link to this contribution) This has been an interesting debate, which I am pleased that my noble friend has led us through. I p...
Lord Greaves | 680 c92-3GC (Link to this contribution) : We must be very strict with ourselves in not telling lots of canvassing stories, entertaining thou...
Viscount Allenby of Megiddo | 680 c87GC (Link to this contribution) I do not want to interrupt the noble Lord, but he has not yet moved his amendment.
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c87GC (Link to this contribution) There would never be a majority on the local authority as a result of manipulation.
Lord Greaves | 680 c84GC (Link to this contribution) I do not know whether it is a question of whether I feel happier about it or not. I agree entirely a...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c115GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 94:"Page 18, leave out lines 38 and 39 and insert ““1 of the Local Governance (S...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c114GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 92:"Page 17, line 30, after ““electors”” insert ““knowingly””" The noble Barone...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c111GC (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for that reply. It is as important for Parliament to see what is being done in ...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c111GC (Link to this contribution) We will try to think of a way to remind the noble Baroness before the end of our deliberations. The...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c110GC (Link to this contribution) The noble Lord will probably find that I agree with him on a lot of the ““speak”” that creeps into o...
Lord Greaves | 680 c110GC (Link to this contribution) In view of that answer, the fact that it will be written in Hansard and that the Electoral Commissio...
Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville | 680 c108GC (Link to this contribution) Before my noble friend winds up on her amendments, I have no problem at all with the Minister’s seek...
Lord Greaves | 680 c106GC (Link to this contribution) It will be no surprise to anyone that I support all the amendments on postal and electronic voting p...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c105-6GC (Link to this contribution) I do not dispute that and I agree with the noble Lord about the importance of secrecy, although I re...
Lord Greaves | 680 c106GC (Link to this contribution) I was going to say that I deliberately have not brought with me my file on the debates on the Ballot...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c106GC (Link to this contribution) Surely the noble Lord is not suggesting that electronic voting was being considered in 1872.
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c108GC (Link to this contribution) May I add a brief postscript? The noble Lord, Lord Greaves, has made an important point. In terms of...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c101-2GC (Link to this contribution) I agree with the spirit of these amendments. We hope we have been clear that we intend each pilot to...
Lord Greaves | 680 c102GC (Link to this contribution) I am very grateful for those comments. It would be interesting if the Minister could tell us which a...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c104-5GC (Link to this contribution) I accept the point, but my advice suggests that it is a question of any pilot or election. The bread...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c133-4GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 98:"Page 22, line 16, leave out ““he is nominated as a candidate”” and insert ““...
Lord Greaves | 680 c134GC (Link to this contribution) I support every word that the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth, has said. The amendment is sensible....
Viscount Allenby of Megiddo | 680 c71GC (Link to this contribution) I apologise that we are a few moments late in starting. I need hardly remind the Committee that if a...
Lord Tyler | 680 c76-7GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the noble Baroness. I think that it is extremely important that the register should...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c77GC (Link to this contribution) I happily support Amendment No. 61. It is an extremely sensible amendment, especially if we are to c...
Lord Tyler | 680 c76GC (Link to this contribution) I strongly support Amendment No. 61, moved by my noble friend Lord Greaves. We are now in an importa...
Lord Goodhart | 680 c72GC (Link to this contribution) I agree with what the Minister is proposing with just one reservation. This is clearly a very import...
Lord Greaves | 680 c73-4GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 61:"Page 11, line 27, at end insert—" ““(   )   Any elector may at any time ma...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c72GC (Link to this contribution) I am reassured by that, as long as we are involved in the discussions on how this exceptionally impo...
Lord Tyler | 680 c83GC (Link to this contribution) Perhaps the Minister will make a general point on this amendment. I am concerned that we are leaving...
Lord Greaves | 680 c129GC (Link to this contribution) It seems that becoming a company director is a bit cheaper nowadays than acquiring certain other pos...
Lord Greaves | 680 c130GC (Link to this contribution) Oh, Roy Jenkins, my former colleague here, a man of great enlightenment. Perhaps there are people in...
Lord Greaves | 680 c129-30GC (Link to this contribution) Oh yes. I shall introduce you to some of those people if you like. I am pleased to say that we have ...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c121-2GC (Link to this contribution) I thank noble Lords for taking part in this short debate. It is a subject of immense importance, and...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c125GC (Link to this contribution) I intervene briefly to say that I have been confronted by very articulate 16 year-olds in the classr...
Lord Tyler | 680 c117-8GC (Link to this contribution) I sympathise, and I understand where the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, is coming from, but there are ...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c115-6GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 95:"Page 19, line 38, at end insert—" ““18BA   ELECTORAL BOUNDARY REFORM (1)  ...
Lord Tyler | 680 c119GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the noble Lord. I represented a widespread rural constituency, unlike his last one,...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c119GC (Link to this contribution) I used to think about this when I was a Member of Parliament. There is some merit in the amendment. ...
Lord Goodhart | 680 c120GC (Link to this contribution) The maintenance of an equal number of electors per seat is obviously desirable in principle. It is c...
Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville | 680 c119-20GC (Link to this contribution) In inner-city seats, the Member of Parliament is likely to have a much larger proportion of non-voti...
Lord Tyler | 680 c94-5GC (Link to this contribution) I support my noble friend’s point. The concept of a benign fiddle may in certain circumstances be cr...
Lord Greaves | 680 c93-4GC (Link to this contribution) I am being very careful with what I say because I do not want to use parliamentary privilege to say ...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c93GC (Link to this contribution) But I think that the noble Lord, Lord Goodhart, was suggesting that the group concerned would turn a...
Lord Greaves | 680 c93GC (Link to this contribution) Let me just answer. I am not going to say that everybody in the leadership of that group turned a bl...
Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville | 680 c91-2GC (Link to this contribution) My remarks are probing in nature on the amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savo...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c89GC (Link to this contribution) One fundamental problem strikes me as a result of the exchange with the noble Lord, Lord Goodhart. O...
Lord Goodhart | 680 c87GC (Link to this contribution) There could be. I can think of one or two local authorities where that could well happen. A group co...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c87GC (Link to this contribution) There is also a debate going on in the local newspapers serving these communities, with frequent cal...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c87GC (Link to this contribution) My noble friend has not yet finished his remarks.
Baroness Hanham | 680 c87GC (Link to this contribution) I would do so if the noble Lord would give me a chance to speak. I was going to pick up on the noble...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c115GC (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for her reply. I am sure that it is as she said. Therefore, I beg leave to with...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c113GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the noble Lord. On Amendment No. 90A, he has recognised that we sought that for ele...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c107GC (Link to this contribution) I am trying to find a way to get hanging chads into the debate. Members of the Committee will rememb...
Lord Greaves | 680 c100-1GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 82A:"Page 14, line 26, leave out paragraph (b)." The noble Lord said: In moving...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c131-2GC (Link to this contribution) I should declare an interest as the mother of a 16 year-old son. I have a completely different take ...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c134-5GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for the welcome to the provision, which reduces the minimum age from 21 to 18. I hope ...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c135-6GC (Link to this contribution) I can help my noble friend: there is a clear distinction to be drawn between the qualification age f...
Lord Lucas | 680 c71GC (Link to this contribution) I hope that this is the equivalent of asking a question on the Motion that the Committee be resumed....
Lord Goodhart | 680 c77GC (Link to this contribution) I add only that I entirely agree with what has been said by both my noble friends in relation to Ame...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c78GC (Link to this contribution) I am sorry that I was not at dinner with the noble Lord, as we could have discussed the matter. I sh...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c77-8GC (Link to this contribution) I raise an issue that came up during a conversation the other night at dinner. We were discussing th...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c78-9GC (Link to this contribution) I hesitate to have debates about CORE because we can do so on Report. When we discussed this issue p...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c72GC (Link to this contribution) I just want to be absolutely clear about this. On Thursday, will we or will we not be discussing the...
Lord Greaves | 680 c74-6GC (Link to this contribution) The point that I was making was that the act of registering from a household may compromise the conf...
Lord Greaves | 680 c81GC (Link to this contribution) If I can go backwards through the amendments, on Amendment No. 84, the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, ...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c80-1GC (Link to this contribution) I completely recognise that. I was merely saying that, if it was deleted, something that we think qu...
Lord Greaves | 680 c82GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for that answer. I am not sure that I agree with it, but I will read everything very c...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c82GC (Link to this contribution) I am sorry if I was not as clear as I meant to be. We agree with what the noble Lord is seeking to d...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c83-4GC (Link to this contribution) I am sorry if I did not make it clear to the noble Lord, but I said that if the noble Lord, Lord Gre...
Lord Greaves | 680 c82-3GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 68A:"After Clause 13, insert the following new clause—" ““PROVISIONAL REGISTRA...
Lord Greaves | 680 c129GC (Link to this contribution) I agree with that, but the answer is that people should go to the polling station to vote and not ha...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c129GC (Link to this contribution) But is it not easier to bully them at home over a postal ballot than by the ballot box?
Lord Lucas | 680 c128-9GC (Link to this contribution) To pick up my noble friend’s point, all you have to do is lay down 100 quid to buy yourself a compan...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c120-1GC (Link to this contribution) This has been an interesting debate. In a sense, I wish we were having a separate debate on this; we...
Lord Tyler | 680 c125-6GC (Link to this contribution) In response to the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, he has made a serious point which, of course, ...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c116-7GC (Link to this contribution) I did not say that this was going to be an equitable amendment. Put another way, of 118 seats that a...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c120GC (Link to this contribution) As a postscript to my noble friend’s intervention, the principle embodied in his amendment is conced...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c97-9GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 79:"After Clause 14, insert the following new clause—" ““INCORPORATION OF PERS...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c97GC (Link to this contribution) I have had more than my share of debating time in the Committee. I do not intend to delay the Commit...
Lord Greaves | 680 c94GC (Link to this contribution) Some of us bear the scars from the Bill to introduce the pilots. The noble Lord, Lord Evans of Templ...
Lord Greaves | 680 c93GC (Link to this contribution) I had better be careful about what I say, because it was my own council in Pendle four years ago. I ...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c93GC (Link to this contribution) Is the noble Lord saying that he knows of a council where control is in the hands of a group that ha...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c88-9GC (Link to this contribution) I find that utterly extraordinary. Even in the worst conditions of corruption of the electoral syste...
Lord Goodhart | 680 c90-1GC (Link to this contribution) I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham. We want a national scheme. It is entirely wrong that t...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c89-90GC (Link to this contribution) I am sure that I am out of order, but I wonder whether the Committee would agree that the noble Lord...
Lord Goodhart | 680 c87GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving way. Could I ask him to deal with a particular problem? H...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c87GC (Link to this contribution) No one is intervening to say that I am wrong.
Lord Greaves | 680 c86-7GC (Link to this contribution) The noble Lord invites me to intervene and far be it from me to refuse. The reason why I have not sp...
Lord Greaves | 680 c115GC (Link to this contribution) It would be remiss of noble Lords in the Liberal Democrat corner of the room not to remark that this...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c114-5GC (Link to this contribution) I agree completely with the intention behind the amendments, but we think that we have already ““don...
Lord Greaves | 680 c113-4GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for those replies. On the second, about the far-reaching powers that are being given, ...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c110-1GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 89:"Page 16, line 9, at end insert—" ““(9)   In section 10 of the Representati...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c108GC (Link to this contribution) I appreciate that it might not be a simple dichotomy; there may be a sliding scale. However, that is...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c108-9GC (Link to this contribution) The noble Baroness’s comment about making things easier by means of the internet has just reminded m...
Lord Greaves | 680 c109-10GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 88A:"Page 15, line 43, at end insert ““and" (b)   the candidates and election ...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c111GC (Link to this contribution) Just as long as I remember it before the end.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c108GC (Link to this contribution) At the risk of prolonging the debate—although I must admit that I am enjoying it—the trouble lies in...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c105GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the noble Baroness for giving way. Is there not a third point here, that of the ele...
Lord Greaves | 680 c107-8GC (Link to this contribution) I accept postal voting for people who for good reasons cannot get to the polling station, although I...
Lord Norton of Louth | 680 c100GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Ashton, and to my noble friend for their comments. I under...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c102-3GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 85:"Page 15, line 13, leave out from ““by”” to end of line 14 and insert ““secti...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c103-4GC (Link to this contribution) moved Amendment No. 86:"Page 15, line 24, at end insert—" ““(   )   In section 10 of the Represent...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c104GC (Link to this contribution) Would that have come under the Representation of the People Act 2000?
Earl of Listowel | 680 c130-1GC (Link to this contribution) Now that I have had a chance to catch my breath, I note that the Committee is clearly anxious to con...
Lord Lucas | 680 c135GC (Link to this contribution) I support my noble friend—so I will not disagree with him all day. Following on from my noble friend...
Lord Evans of Temple Guiting | 680 c136GC (Link to this contribution) This may be a convenient time to adjourn until Thursday 23 March at 2 pm.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c71-2GC (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the noble Lord for raising an important issue. The procedure that I propose to adop...
Baroness Hanham | 680 c76GC (Link to this contribution) I intervene to draw attention to the fact that that is absolutely nothing to do with Amendment No.  ...
Lord Greaves | 680 c79-80GC (Link to this contribution) I should have explained this. The only reason why the amendment would delete the provision was to en...
Lord Campbell-Savours | 680 c78GC (Link to this contribution) A PIN in itself suggests that there will be another number in circulation in relation to every perso...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c72GC (Link to this contribution) I anticipate that we will be discussing the Liberal amendments as per usual in the Committee process...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c72GC (Link to this contribution) Subject to our discussions with the usual channels, I would be perfectly happy with that procedure. ...
Viscount Allenby of Megiddo | 680 c74GC (Link to this contribution) I am sorry that we have to interrupt proceedings so early on. A Division is called. We will reassemb...
Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 680 c83GC (Link to this contribution) I will be brief. We think that the amendment is a good idea. It builds on aspects of Clause 9. We in...

Subjects

Constituencies
Age
Fraud
Elections
ICT
Electronic voting
Electoral Commission
Electoral register
Pilot schemes
Multiple occupation
Proof of identity
Scotland
Registration
Voting methods

Legislation

Electoral Administration Bill 2005-06

Link

View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk
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