§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what representations he has received about the requirement, under the arrangements outlined in the circular RPA 394, for EU citizens resident298W in the United Kingdom to apply if they wish to register as European parliamentary electors; what arrangements apply to their registration in respect of local government elections; and if he will make a statement; [22632]
(2) when he proposes to bring forward legislation enabling arrangements to be made allowing European Union citizens resident in the United Kingdom to be included as local government electors on the register coming into force in February 1996; what is the latest estimate of the numbers of such EU citizens who may be included on the register throughout the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [22587]
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerThe treaty of European Union gave all nationals of the Union resident in a member state of which they are not nationals the right to vote and stand as a candidate in European parliamentary and local government elections. European citizens were eligible to vote and to stand as candidates in the European Parliament elections last year.
No formal representations have been received on circular RPA 394 on EU citizens resident in the UK wishing to register as electors.
Legislation to provide for registration of Union citizens as electors in future local elections will be presented to Parliament as parliamentary time allows. There are about 400,000 eligible EU citizens in the UK.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU citizens, resident in the United Kingdom, included on the register of those eligible to vote in the local elections on 4 May, were declared ineligible to vote before polling day. [22586]
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerEU citizens, other than British and Irish citizens, were not eligible to vote in the elections on 4 May.