§ 1. Dr. David Owenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1949, to allow long-stay patients in hospitals to be included in the current electoral register, as the present law concerning residents is out of keeping with the spirit of the Mental Health Act and against the principles of community responsibility and care.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Miss Alice Bacon)As I said in the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Dame Joan Vickers) on 27th May, this is a matter within the terms of reference of the Speaker's Conference on Electoral Law.
§ Dr. OwenI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Could she give an indication when the Speaker's Conference will give some guidance on this matter, because it is causing a considerable amount of concern?
§ Miss BaconI can well understand the anxiety of my hon. Friend, but it is not 872 for me to say when the Speaker's Conference will report on this particular aspect.