§ Mr. Kenneth Bakerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many town clerks have been asked 293W to give their views on the Government's proposals to extend the polling hours from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.;
(2) how much he estimates the percentage poll to increase in the country as a whole as a result of his proposals to increase polling hours from the current 14 hours to 15 hours;
(3) how many more constituencies he estimates will have to hold their count the following day as a result of his proposals not to close the polling stations until 10 p.m.
§ Mr. CallaghanMy Department consulted the representative returning officers on the Electoral Advisory Conference, of whom five are clerks of county councils, five are town clerks and one is the clerk of an urban district council. There were also discussions at the Home Office with representatives of the societies of officers representing all returning officers. No estimate is possible of the percentage increase in the poll, or of the number of constituencies in which the count will take place on the day following the poll.