Question

To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what training and guidance polling station staff receive before elections on the (a) challenges faced by and (b) support available to people with a learning disability.

Ahead of any election, the Commission provides resources for Returning Officers including training material, to ensure anyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so with confidence. It is the responsibility of Returning Officers to deliver training to polling station staff.

The Commission’s Polling Station Handbook contains specific guidance for polling station staff on what support any person with a learning disability can request in order to be able to cast their vote.

The Commission’s recent ‘Elections for Everyone’ report – which looks specifically at issues of access to elections for those with disabilities – contains a number of recommendations to ensure there are no barriers to any person with a learning disability being able to cast their vote.