§ 94. Sir A. FELLasked the President of the Local Government Board if his attention has been called to the numbers of electors appearing on the registers of constituencies in many cases far in excess of the number estimated when the Representation of the People Act was passed; if he is aware that there is evidence of 1239 serious mistakes of principle having been made; that on some registers numbers of persons appear twice and on others men have been put on by their wives at their old place of residence and also by themselves at the place where they work temporarily, and that in some constituencies more than half the whole population have been put on the register; and will he say what action he proposes to take to rectify these errors?
§ Mr. PRATTIt is understood that in many constituencies the number of persons in the electors' lists is larger than was estimated. It is hardly to be expected that the compilation of the lists should take place without some mistakes being made, but my right hon. Friend has no information of any serious mistakes of principle. If a person is found to have been registered twice as a Parliamentary elector in the same constituency, it will be the duty of the registration officer to correct the lists by removal of one of the entries. If a person registered in the electors' lists is not entitled to be registered, objection can be made to his registration by any person whose name appears in the electors' lists for the constituency.
§ Sir A. FELLIs the hon. Gentleman aware that in some cases half the population have been put on as electors which, on the face of it, must be impossible.