HL Deb 18 May 1977 vol 383 cc701-2

2.45 p.m.

Lord BEAUMONT of WHITLEY

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when and where the detailed figures of voting in the recent local government elections will be published.

Lord WELLS-PESTELL

My Lords, returning officers are required by the Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 1973 to publish as soon as possible the name or names of the candidate or candidates elected and the total number of votes given to each candidate, whether elected or not. This information is normally published locally. It is not collected and published centrally by the Government.

Lord BEAUMONT of WHITLEY

My Lords, in view of the fact that a knowledge of the workings of democracy must be one of the factors which helps to preserve democracy, would it not be advantageous—at a cost of not very much work and expense—to centralise this information so that it is available for all those who want it and need it?

Lord WELLS-PESTELL

My Lords, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary is not persuaded that that would be so. The collection of all local results would be time-consuming, expensive, and, in his view, the expense would not be justified. The noble Lord no doubt knows that the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys publish certain information relating to local elections, presumably trends, in their monitor series. The Stationery Office publish full details of Parliamentary Elections and candidates' expenses, but, as I say, my right honourable friend does not see the need to go beyond that.

Lord CARRINGTON

My Lords, before any work of this kind is put in hand, could the noble Lord make absolutely sure why it is the noble Lord, Lord Beaumont of Whitley, wants to know what happened to the Liberal vote?

Lord BLYTON

My Lords, could the Minister say why either the Liberal Party or ourselves should have this information for local elections, seeing that we got a hiding and they got annihilated?

Lord WELLS-PESTELL

My Lords, I imagine that all of the political Parties in this country know precisely what happened to their candidates and the number of people who voted in the local elections.