Representation of the People Bill (Hansard, 8 July 1993)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Viscount Cranborne)
My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time.
The Bill concerns the security of certain members of the armed forces, members of the Ulster Defence Regiment as part of the reserve and auxiliary forces, registered as civilian voters. The merger cif the UDR with the Royal Irish Rangers to form the Royal Irish Regiment resulted in the home service component of the new regiment becoming part of the regular Army.
1567 The Representation of the People Act 1983 confers on members of the regular forces a service qualification. Consequently, those who now enlist as full-time home service personnel may register only as service voters; it is illegal for them to register as civilian electors.
The position of part-time members of home service battalions is, on the other hand, arguable. Their liability for call-out could be considered in law to render them part of the reserve and auxiliary forces and, hence, exempt from the provisions for service voting. All personnel serving out their existing UDR engagements are not affected and can continue to register as civilians.
Under the electoral system in Northern Ireland, canvassers who are not security vetted distribute and collect registration forms from households. Home service personnel who had enlisted since the merger would have to tell these canvassers they were no longer eligible to be registered on the standard civilian forms. Our concern is that this, coupled with the appearance of their names on the completed register, could lead to their identification as home service personnel.
I do not wish to cast doubt—far from it—on the integrity of canvassers, who do a difficult job well. The element of risk may indeed be small, but I am sure your Lordships will agree that it is prudent to remove it, particularly since I would remind noble Lords that from 1970 to June 1993 no fewer than 202 Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish (home service) personnel have been killed and 457 wounded or injured. After study, we have concluded that this is best done by amending the Representation of the People Act 1983.
A secondary consideration is that the service voter arrangements are meant to assist service personnel serving overseas. Home service personnel serve only in Northern Ireland—except for some limited periods for training.
The purpose of the Bill is to amend the definition of who constitutes a member of the armed forces in Section 59(1) of the Representation of the People Act 1983. By excluding home service personnel from the definition, they will be able to continue to register as civilian voters. The reference to a member of the regular Army in the Bill means that both officers and soldiers are included. Also, the amendment extends to both full and part-time home service personnel, thus removing any doubt about the position in law of the part-timers of whom I spoke a moment ago.
As the annual registration round in Northern Ireland begins in August, we seek commencement on Royal Assent. I commend the Bill to your Lordships.

§ Lord Howell
My Lords, first I thank the noble Viscount for the full explanation that he has given to us about the purpose and details of the Bill. Perhaps I may say on behalf of my noble friends on this side of the House that it has a warm welcome and a fair wind.
I wish to take the opportunity of endorsing what the noble Viscount said about the great courage of our 1568 forces in Northern Ireland and to say how much we all owe them for the fact that so many have been murdered and seriously injured in the past 25 years. We know that they will continue, despite all provocation, to maintain those high standards.
There are two points to make arising from the sorry state of affairs which makes the Bill necessary. They are essential matters in the cause of democracy in our country. First, it is absolutely essential that soldiers who volunteer their lives on our behalf should at all times be protected by the electoral process. As I understand it, that is the main purpose of the Bill.
The second point is that it is absolutely vital that their right to vote is protected in a free society. Since the Bill seeks to achieve both those objectives, I have much pleasure in giving to it the support of these Benches.

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, can my noble friend confirm one point for me? I listened with care to his explanation. I hope that the changes which he proposes will not give rise to someone doing what I, as an accountant, might do; that is, to note that there is a change in the register. Will my noble friend confirm that the changes he proposes will not give any information, even by deduction, through comparing last year's or any previous registration roll with the current one? I believe that in the background notes that will have been taken care of, but perhaps my noble friend will confirm that.

Viscount Cranborne
My Lords, I am extremely grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Howell, for his welcome for the Bill. His party's enthusiastic support for it has been greatly appreciated by Her Majesty's Government in another place, and of course here. I am equally grateful to him for taking the opportunity to pay tribute to the performance of our troops in Northern Ireland, which is a rather less glamorous theatre than perhaps some of the other theatres to which our troops find themselves committed. The tribute is all the more welcome for that.
The noble Lord made two extremely pertinent and valuable points. Of course, he is right. Soldiers should be protected in the way in which he suggested, and that is the main purpose of the legislation. I also confirm to the noble Lord, as I am sure he knows full well, that all three services go to enormous lengths to point out to servicemen and women that it is their right to vote. Every effort is made to make sure that that right is made as easy as possible, considering the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves. I am also grateful to the noble Lord for allowing me to confirm that.
Finally, my noble friend Lord Lyell asked me an equally important and pertinent question arising, no doubt, from his considerable experience of Northern Ireland. I can confirm to him that there will be no change to information already available on the electoral roll as a result of the Bill. The aim of the Bill is to ensure that the status quo continues.
Once again, I thank noble Lords for their support for the Bill, and I commend it to the House.

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn during pleasure until seven fifty five.