§ 16. Dr. Edmund Marshallasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to returning officers at parliamentary and local government elections about the desirability of permitting candidates' tellers to be accommodated within schools and similar buildings where there are polling stations.
§ Mr. BrittanNone, Sir, but we shall consider the need for guidance on this matter in the future.
§ Dr. MarshallDoes the hon. and learned Gentleman believe that it is right that some candidates' tellers should be forced to stand outside in the driving rain and snow, as happened at some polling stations in my constituency on 3 May, when there is adequate room in corridors where they could play their part without interfering in the electoral process?
§ Mr. BrittanI share the hon. Gentleman's concern. It is open to acting returning officers to designate as a polling station only part of a building, in which case tellers would have the right to sit or stand in the corridor if that was so desired. We shall be providing a comprehensive memorandum of guidance to acting returning officers, as was issued in 1974. When doing so we shall bear that point in mind.