§ Mr. Humeasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement detailing the cost per annum of the storage, handling and distribution of polling booths;
(2) what are the amounts spent per annum on repairing or replacing polling booths;
(3) what amounts were spent on the storage, handling, distribution, repair and replacement of polling booths at the last general election;
(4) what amounts were spent on the storage, handling, distribution, repair and replacement of polling booths at the last European Parliament election.
§ Mr. MacGregorI have been asked to reply.
The claims from acting returning officers for the 1979 and 1983 general elections and the 1979 and 1984 European Assembly elections have been examined. The costs for adapting and fitting up of any room for election purpose were £842,588, £1,244,189, £524,782 and £990,000 (estimate) respectively, or an average cost of just over £900,000. The further detail of costs for the handling, distribution, repair and replacement of polling booths could be obtained only with disproportionate expenditure of time and resources. Local authorities meet the costs of storage of polling booths for whatever form of election.