Question

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many electors have registered online since the introduction of online registration; and what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to encourage online registration.

The Electoral Commission informs me that the numbers of people who have registered online falls within the remit of the Cabinet Office, which is leading on online registration.

The Electoral Commission is taking a range of steps to encourage online registration, including providing template letters for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to send to residents highlighting the fact that people can register online and directing them to the registration site (gov.uk/register-to-vote). The Commission has also made a range of publicity resources available for EROs to use in their local public engagement activity which direct people to the gov.uk site. These will work in conjunction with the Commission's mass media public awareness campaign to coincide with the ‘write out' EROs are doing in their areas and which takes place in England and Wales in July / August and in October in Scotland. The Commission is also working with partners and stakeholders, including political parties, businesses, voluntary organisations and the media, to ensure the message about online registration and the gov.uk/register-to-vote address is spread as widely as possible.