§ 4.20 p.m.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, with your Lordships' permission, I should like to move three regulations and take them en bloc. The regulations are the Representation of the People (Amendment) Regulations 1978; the Representation of the People (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 1978; and the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 1978.
These regulations increase the fees payable for copies of the register of electors. The regulations, which require the approval of this House and another place, have been carefully considered by the political Parties and others affected by them. There is broad agreement that they should be implemented. Each year, as your Lordships' will know, every electoral registration officer is required to compile and publish a register of electors. The register is published on 15th February and is open to inspection by the public. The Representation of the People Regulations require that the 959 registration officer should supply, on request and without fee, copies of the register to certain persons with a particular interest. I have in mind Members of Parliament, local authority councillors, prospective candidates at elections and election agents. He may also provide extra copies to those in this special category at a fee fixed in the regulations. Other purchasers must pay a higher fee.
The fees were last fixed in the Representation of the People Regulations 1974 which simply re-enacted the fees fixed in 1969. Since then, printing costs have risen enormously and it seems equitable, therefore, that some adjustment should be made to shift the burden of the increased expense away from the local ratepayer. Accordingly, the regulations now before your Lordships' House provide that those who are specially entitled to one free copy of the register should, from the operative date, pay a fee of 10p, rather than 5p as at present, per 1,000 names for additional copies, and all other persons should pay a fee of 50p per 1,000 names rather than 25p as at the present time.
If these regulations are approved by your Lordships' House and another place they will, in the case of the English and Northern Ireland regulations, come into operation on 15th February, which is the day when electoral registration officers are required to publish the new register of electors. In the case of the Scottish Regulations, they will take effect 14 days after their approval by both Houses of Parliament. I do not think that there is any need for me to say anything more than this. I beg to move that these regulations be approved.
Moved, That the Representation of the People (Amendment) Regulations 1978, laid before the House on 17th January, be approved.
That the Representation of the People (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 1978, laid before the House on 17th January, be approved.
That the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 1978, laid before the House on 17th January, be approved.—(Lord Wells-Pestell.)
§ 4.24 p.m.
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, these regulations are perfectly straightforward. I am grateful to the noble Lord for explaining the background to them. They simply double the price of purchasing electoral registers. I shall not keep your Lordships as we are about to start an important debate, but it is right to say that this is of some importance to widely differing organisations. There are of course the political Parties which have to pay for their registers with money which they have to raise voluntarily. They pay a good deal less than the market research and opinion poll organisations. There is a letter in The Times today protesting about these regulations. That is just to give a few examples.
I wonder whether I may ask two questions. The noble Lord, Lord Wells-Pestell, said that there was broad agreement about this increase in price. Can he say who has given that agreement? Also—and the noble Lord may have mentioned this and I am afraid I may have missed what he said—I am wondering when the last increase in price was made. With those two questions, I shall of course agree to the passage of the regulations. May I express the hope that the cost of the registers will be kept within reasonable agreement? As I say—and this goes across Party boundaries—the political Parties have to buy these registers with money raised voluntarily. For that reason, if for no other, it is important that these costs should be kept under control.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, if the noble Lord will forgive me, I missed the second point.
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, it was regarding the last time there was an increase in price.
§ Lord SWAYTHLINGMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he is able to tell us what are the anticipated total receipts from the increase in fees? Is it a very small amount or does he anticipate that a large amount will be received from the increased fees?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLIt is perfectly true that the local authorities pay less and that organisations and market research firms pay more. I, too, have seen the 961 letter in The Times today. This information is required primarily for the local registration of electors. To answer another point raised by the noble Lord, there has been no price increase since 1969. In the circumstances, it seems reasonable that there should now be an increase. It is only right that the ratepayer should be saved as much as possible of the cost of distribution of these electoral registers, and that people who want them for private purposes, such as firms undertaking market research work should pay, so far as possible, the economic cost of these things. I do not see anything in that which is unreasonable. I cannot give the noble Lord, Lord Swaythling, any idea of the amount of money which is recovered in this way. It is an interesting point and I will find out for my own benefit and also let him know.
§ On Question, Motions agreed to.