Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of printing and distributing polling cards to voters in the 2019 general election.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The cost of printing and distributing polling cards to voters at the 2019 general election will not be known until all of the Returning Officers’ expenses claims for those polls have been reviewed, agreed and settled.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Electoral Commission's publication of electoral data from the 2019 United Kingdom Parliamentary general election, what assessment they have made of (1) the reasons for tendered ballot papers having to be issued, and (2) how the number of tendered ballots compares to the total votes cast; and what plans they have to work with the Electoral Commission and professional bodies representing Returning Officers to assess the possible reasons for tendered ballot papers being issued.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
A tendered ballot paper may be issued to a voter in a number of circumstances at an election; for example, if an elector goes to a polling station and finds that the register has been marked to show that somebody has already voted for them, and the elector believes this is an error. As noted in the question, the Electoral Commission included information on the number of tendered ballot papers issued in the electoral data it compiled from the 2019 General Election. The Government will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other relevant bodies to support the delivery of elections and will consider a wide range of issues as part of this work.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many attainers are currently registered to vote in (1) England, (2) Northern Ireland, (3) Scotland, and (4) Wales; and how many were registered each year from 2015 to 2020.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The number of attainers registered to vote can be found on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/elections/electoralregistration/datasets/electoralstatisticsforuk.
The number of attainers included in the local government register, by year, are:
| England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
2020 | 196,346 | 14,640 | 29,599 | 490 |
2019 | 265,624 | 13,170 | 14,577 | 319 |
2018 | 268,396 | 13,172 | 20,232 | 574 |
2017 | 279,388 | 13,001 | 20,788 | 608 |
2016 | 293,430 | 13,810 | 22,035 | 5,000 |
2015 | 244,781 | 12,462 | 21,343 | 5,350 |
An elector must be 18 years old to be included on the UK Parliamentary register. As such, attainers are not included in UK Parliamentary registers.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 14 December 2020 (HL10908), what progress has been made on discussions between the Cabinet Office and HMRC about how to better inform people about how to register to vote; and in particular on providing (1) an electronic link, or (2) specific written reference, to the electoral registration website in the National Insurance number letters that they issue.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
National Insurance Number letters issued by HMRC state that you need your National Insurance Number to register to vote. Cabinet Office officials continue to engage with colleagues in HMRC regarding what further information could be included in the letters to help inform individuals about the registration process, and whether there is scope to include reference to the Register to Vote website in the National Insurance number letters. The Government is committed to making registration as easy as possible and we encourage everyone who is eligible to register to vote.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow individual local authorities to request that applicants for postal or proxy voting arrangements provide proof of (1) identification, and (2) residence; whether (a) they, or (b) the Electoral Commission, have approved the addition of any such requests to relevant application forms; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such requests on the number of applications to vote by post or proxy.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are responsible for processing applications for a postal or proxy vote, and for applying the legislative requirements. Postal or proxy voters must, by law, supply their date of birth and signature at application and again when they return their postal ballot at an election or referendum. The law does not require applicants to verify their identity or address when applying for a postal or proxy vote. EROs do not have the power to reject or refuse an absent vote application if the applicant does not provide additional proof of identity or residence.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 28 January (HL Deb col 1804), and the Written Answers from Lord True on 17 February (HL12832 and HL12833), whether (1) NHS England, (2) the Department for Health and Social Care, (3) the Chief Scientific Officer, and (4) the Chief Medical Officer, provided advice that informed the distinction between (a) volunteer, and (b) paid, delivery of leaflets, as set out in the Minister for the Constitution’s letter of 22 January.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.
The Government has published a Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff. The Medical Officers advised Ministers in drawing up this delivery plan. The Government has committed to further engage with political parties through the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.
Campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. On 22 February the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions/guidance.
The whole of England remains in a national lockdown and will do so until 29 March. The current restrictions do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual campaigners. Leaving home to undertake leafleting increases the risk of unnecessary social interactions and viral transmission both during travel and on doorsteps. Campaigners should instead ensure leafleting is carried out through existing commercial delivery services, which are already operating and delivering during the national lockdown. Any spending on this which is incurred during a regulated period must count towards a candidate’s spending limit.
From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of grouping Questions for Written Answer on the quality of the information provided in response to these questions; and in particular, further to the reply by Lord True on 22 February (HL Deb col 610), whether they will now say what representations were made by political parties supporting an increase in national party expenditure limits prior to the Government’s statement made on 3 December 2020 (HLWS610) about uprating them in line with inflation since 2000.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
As outlined in the ‘Guide to Parliamentary Work’, all departments must make the utmost effort to give accurate and helpful answers to all written questions.
Further to my answer in the House of Lords on 22 February, last year the Government engaged with representatives of the Local Government Association, political groups, the Parliamentary Parties Panel and other political parties last year on uprating spending limits at reserved polls. A range of views were received and following that engagement, we uprated candidate spending limits at local elections in England. We have committed to review candidate and party spending limits, at reserved polls this year, with a view to uprating them in line with inflation.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is still their aim to ensure that there is a level playing field in the conduct of election campaigns; what assessment they have made of whether this aim is achievable in elections scheduled for this May, in which the delivery of campaign literature by volunteers has been discouraged by the Government whilst the delivery of campaign literature by commercial organisations for political parties is not; and whether advice to party volunteers is consistent with that for party leaders making campaign visits across the country.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.
The Government has published a Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff. The Medical Officers advised Ministers in drawing up this delivery plan. The Government has committed to further engage with political parties through the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.
Campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. On 22 February the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions/guidance.
The whole of England remains in a national lockdown and will do so until 29 March. The current restrictions do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual campaigners. Leaving home to undertake leafleting increases the risk of unnecessary social interactions and viral transmission both during travel and on doorsteps. Campaigners should instead ensure leafleting is carried out through existing commercial delivery services, which are already operating and delivering during the national lockdown. Any spending on this which is incurred during a regulated period must count towards a candidate’s spending limit.
From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether sufficient information concerning elections and candidates can be obtained via (1) the internet, and (2) the media; and further to this, what assessment they have made of the reasons behind the significant level of spending of political parties on unsolicited literature delivered to voters prior to the 2019 general election.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.
The Government has published a Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff. The Medical Officers advised Ministers in drawing up this delivery plan. The Government has committed to further engage with political parties through the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.
Campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. On 22 February the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions/guidance.
The whole of England remains in a national lockdown and will do so until 29 March. The current restrictions do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual campaigners. Leaving home to undertake leafleting increases the risk of unnecessary social interactions and viral transmission both during travel and on doorsteps. Campaigners should instead ensure leafleting is carried out through existing commercial delivery services, which are already operating and delivering during the national lockdown. Any spending on this which is incurred during a regulated period must count towards a candidate’s spending limit.
From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the legal basis for the view set out in the Minister of the Constitution’s letter of 22 January distinguishing between volunteer distribution of campaign leaflets and identical activity by people paid by commercial organisations; what reference is made to this distinction in the COVID-19 regulations, and what assessment they have made of whether holding elections on 6 May with (1) this restriction, and (2) other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, will contribute to reduced turnout and campaign activity.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.
The Government has published a Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff. The Medical Officers advised Ministers in drawing up this delivery plan. The Government has committed to further engage with political parties through the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.
Campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. On 22 February the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions/guidance.
The whole of England remains in a national lockdown and will do so until 29 March. The current restrictions do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual campaigners. Leaving home to undertake leafleting increases the risk of unnecessary social interactions and viral transmission both during travel and on doorsteps. Campaigners should instead ensure leafleting is carried out through existing commercial delivery services, which are already operating and delivering during the national lockdown. Any spending on this which is incurred during a regulated period must count towards a candidate’s spending limit.
From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.