HC Deb 03 May 1955 vol 540 cc1512-4
Sir D. Robertson

(by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that a large number of electors in the landward area of Caithness have been disfranchised due to changes made by the electoral officer, and if he will give a special direction under Section 41 of the Representation of the People Act to the registration officer to conduct a house-to-house inquiry in order to restore these electors to the register.

Mr. J. Stuart

Section 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1949, requires the registration officer to have a house-to-house or other sufficient inquiry made as to the persons entitled to be registered. I understand that in compiling the current register for Caithness, which cannot now be altered, the registration officer omitted the names of persons included in previous registers who failed to reply to postal canvass last autumn or to make a claim to be registered on the publication of the electors' list in December last. I have no evidence that this has disfranchised a large number of persons; but in any case I have no power to take any action.

Sir D. Robertson

Is it not the case that at a meeting of the Caithness County Council held last week the statement was very definitely made by a county councillor, and supported by the County Clerk, a most responsible official, that a very large number of people living in the landward areas have been disfranchised because the new registration officer had applied the test under Section 9 in the towns of Wick and Thursoe but had dropped it for the landward areas, where it had been carried out previously? Is he aware that in one village alone 20 per cent. of the electorate is disfranchised, and it may well be that the same state of affairs will prevail elsewhere? As the vote is such a precious possession, is it not wrong that this important recording should have been carried out in such a perfunctory manner?

Mr. Stuart

I must just mention the fact that these lists were open to public inspection in post offices, public libraries and elsewhere from 28th November to 16th December. I am assured that the registration officer took special care to inform the electors in the districts concerned that they should see whether their names were on the lists so that omissions could be rectified. Of course, if the electors did not take steps to see to any of those things for themselves, while that is no doubt very regrettable, I do not believe that the registration officer, so far as I am informed, is at fault. As I said, I am afraid that I have not the power to alter the present registration.

Mr. Woodburn

While that may be true theoretically, is it not a fact that registration officers throughout Scotland make it their business to see that electors do not default in this essential duty of seeing that their names are on the register? When this registrar was appointed, was he a person who had had experience and who had done this work in other parts of the country, or was he aware of what was required of a registration officer?

Mr. Stuart

He was a new registration officer, but he was certainly informed of the law on this subject. After inspecting the list, he did take steps to see that people who were not on it should make application to be included. It is the case that a percentage of the people to whom my hon. Friend the Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Sir D. Robertson) has referred, had, of course, moved on, either to another world, or to some other part of this world.

Mr. Woodburn

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that even these people might have been reached through the dead letter office? Is it not the case that if registration officers worked to rule, as he seems to suggest, half the people in this country would be disfranchised? Is it not the case that they do not work to rule, but carry out their duty in a sympathetic manner to get everybody on the register? Surely he will try to see that registration officers in the future—if he cannot do it this time—carry out their duty in habitual form.

Mr. Stuart

I certainly agree that they should carry out their duties fully and sympathetically. However, I have no reason to suppose that this registration officer did not have those intentions. I can only say, while it is no responsibility of mine, that I regret it if he did not manage to get everybody on the list.

Mr. H. Morrison

If, as is said by the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Sir D. Robertson) in some cases registration fell as much as 20 per cent., surely there was a responsibility on the registration officer to find out why that dramatic change had taken place. That is often done by registration officers when they make inquiries. In view of this very substantial disfranchisement, does the Secretary of State mean to say that there is nothing that he can do about it?

Mr. Stuart

That is so. There is nothing I can do about it at the present time. The 20 per cent., to which the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland referred, is not, of course, a 20 per cent. disfranchisement, because some have moved and others have moved away for ever. I cannot say—and I do not think that the right hon. Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. H. Morrison) can say—what percentage has been disfranchised, because that is an unknown figure.