HC Deb 14 February 1985 vol 73 cc519-20
Mr. Robin Corbett (Birmingham, Erdington)

I beg to move amendment No. 81, in page 19, line 18, leave out 'for' and insert 'after'.

The Second Deputy Chairman (Sir Paul Dean)

With this it will be convenient to take amendment No. 82, in page 19, line 20, leave out from beginning to 'and' in line 21 and insert 'shall be inserted the words "where these are not Saturdays".'.

Mr. Corbett

The most important person in elections to this place is not the candidate but the election agent. Almost all of the legal responsibilities involved fall on the election agent's shoulders. If the brickbats are flying, the election agent collects them. It is rare for them to gather many bouquets, even if the candidate on whose behalf they have worked wins.

As the Minister will have divined, the amendments extend slightly the timetable for the bits of the election machine to be cranked into place. The House has made it easier for people to get postal votes and for absent voters to make arrangements to vote. That will put extra work on election agents. It is my experience that all of the pieces of paper that float around in the early days of an election campaign end up on the desk of and under the scrutiny of the election agent, as he must ensure that the applications are completed properly and run no risk of being rejected by the returning officer. The Minister may need time to think about what we are trying to achieve, but I anticipate that he will take the point seriously. I hope that he will be able to respond as we should like.

Mr. Mellor

I welcome the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) to the Front Bench, making his debut on this day of Committee. The timetable concerns everyone involved with elections. It is also a matter of concern to the public. I do not know whether the public's reaction to the contest in which I was involved at the last general election was unusual, but if I was told once I was told a hundred times each day, "Doesn't the election go on a long time?" That starts on the second day of the campaign.

We must think carefully before including provisions that provide a proper amount of time for a campaign so as not to have arbitrary rules that lengthen a campaign gratuitously. We and, I believe, the public want a fairly tight period between the dissolution of Parliament and the general election. That is why I am a little troubled by the amendments. Although we fully accept that there should be disregard of bank and public holidays, Saturdays and Sundays, we see no merit in adding some other days which are immediately before or after other holidays. The amendments would reinstate the days either side of public holiday breaks. I am not sure that that would be appropriate.

If there is some worry about Christmas and Easter, during which times special considerations apply, we could add Christmas eve and Maundy Thursday to the disregarded days, but I ask the hon. Gentleman not to press for other days. I am aware that his intention is to ensure that everyone is able to do what he wants to do in the proper time.

We have thought deeply about this and consulted widely with party professionals and electoral registration officers. We believe that we have provided a timetable that enables such people to do what they want and satisfies the public's desire for election campaigns to be no longer than is necessary. I hope, therefore, that the hon. Gentleman will withdraw the amendment. I shall consider whether we should add Christmas eve and Maundy Thursday in recognition of the hon. Gentleman's case.

Mr. Corbett

I am grateful to the Minister for his response. I am smiling because I know of at least one candidate at the general election who also thought that the campaign was too long from about the second day. I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for agreeing to consider Christmas eve and Maundy Thursday. On that basis, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 18 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 19 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

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