Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Electoral Commission's report Accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers in Great Britain, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the disparity between electoral register completeness of voters from white ethnic backgrounds and those from other ethnic backgrounds.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government is committed to protecting, promoting and respecting our democracy. We want to build upon recent record levels of electors registering to vote and participating in elections. Since 2013/14, the Government has provided more than £27m to fund diverse activities by EROs, civil society groups and others to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement.
The Cabinet Office has recently published the findings of a project investigating the barriers to registration for under-registered groups, including some minority ethnic backgrounds.
This evidence is available along with other resources on GOV.UK to assist Electoral Registration Officers and others to better understand why some ethnic minorities are less likely to be registered and to target them more effectively.
The Government is also taking action to reform the annual canvass of all residential properties in Great Britain. These reforms will significantly improve the overall efficiency of the canvass process and allow Electoral Registration Officers to focus their efforts on activities including the targeting of under-registered groups.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Electoral Commission's report Accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers in Great Britain, what assessment his Department has made of the factors influencing the increase in electoral register entries with major errors from 2015 to 2019.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government will review the Electoral Commission’s report in detail and consider its conclusions.
The Government is taking action to reform the annual canvass of all residential properties in Great Britain. These reforms will significantly improve the overall efficiency of the canvass process and allow Electoral Registration Officers to focus their efforts on where change has occurred. This will play an important role in helping them maintain the accuracy and completeness of their registers.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the compatibility of software used by local authorities for electoral registration and that used by (a) the Electoral Commission and (b) his own Department.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government has no plans to assess the compatibility of software used by local
authorities for electoral registration and that used by the Cabinet Office and Electoral
Commission.
When Individual Electoral Registration (IER) was introduced in 2014, the Cabinet Office
worked with the Electoral Management Systems (EMS) providers to ensure they were
compatible with the Government’s IER Digital Service. Compatibility with the IER Digital
Service means that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) can manage registration data
through their EMS by downloading applications submitted through the Register to Vote
website, uploading applications to be verified with the Department of Work and Pensions,
and notifying other EROs about electors who have moved from their area.
We continue to work with the suppliers to ensure any changes to the IER Digital Service
retain compatibility with the EMSs. In addition, the Cabinet Office is also working closely
with EMS providers to ensure that all systems used by EROs are fully prepared to manage
the changes required as part of the reforms to the annual canvass.
The Government does not hold any information on the compatibility of software used by
the Electoral Commission with that used by local authorities.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of people have received fixed penalty notices for failing to register on the electoral register in each local authority area since July 2014.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Cabinet Office does not hold this information. The issuing of fixed penalty notices is at the discretion of individual Electoral Registration Officers, who hold this data. It should be noted that penalties exist for failing to respond to requests for information from EROs (such as not completing a Household Enquiry Form or an Invitation to Register) rather than for failing to register to vote.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what statistical indices have been used to measure levels of happiness and well-being in the UK in the last 30 years.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government spent on encouraging people to register to vote in each year since 2010.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of levels of expenditure on electoral registration measures on registration.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of (a) geography, (b) demography and (c) socioeconomic factors on trends in levels of electoral registration in different parliamentary constituencies.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage third sector organisations to help increase levels of electoral registration.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.