Asked by: Lord Gilbert of Panteg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 5 June 2019 (HL15875), what is the latest timetable for laying the secondary legislation on electoral registers, following the Cabinet Office’s engagement with stakeholders since June 2019.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Government is currently making plans to deliver an ambitious programme of measures to strengthen electoral integrity. We will make an announcement on our intentions in due course.
Asked by: Lord Gilbert of Panteg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Young of Cookham on 5 June 2018 (HL7937) and 20 November 2018 (HL11157), what is their proposed timetable for amending the secondary legislation on electoral registers in the light of the commitments made by Ministers during the Data Protection Bill; and what were the conclusions of the discussions with the Parliamentary Parties Panel on this matter.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Parliamentary Parties Panel indicated broad support for the proposal to amend secondary legislation on electoral registers, in light of the commitments made during the Data Protection Bill to support democratic engagement. The Government intends to engage further with the appropriate stakeholders, with a view to then making any necessary amendments to secondary legislation.
Asked by: Lord Gilbert of Panteg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 5 June (HL7937), what is the status of their review of existing electoral registration legislation; and what discussions on supporting democratic engagement they have held with political parties.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Government has been working to ensure there is legal and operational clarity for political parties and elected representatives, including considering the scope for amendments to secondary legislation on electoral registers to reflect changes made in the Data Protection Act 2018.
We intend to discuss this further with the Parliamentary Parties Panel in due course.
Asked by: Lord Gilbert of Panteg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to review secondary legislation on access to electoral registers to ensure that the Data Protection Bill, once in force, will not negatively affect the use by elected representatives or political parties of the electoral register for the purposes of democratic engagement.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Government will review existing legislation on access to electoral registers to ensure elected representatives and political parties can continue to use the electoral register for the purposes of democratic engagement. This reflects the commitment by Ministers during the Data Protection Bill (HL Deb, 14 May 2018, Col. 418). We will also engage with political parties through the Parliamentary Parties Panel.