§ Lord Beaumont of Whitleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider taking steps to update British electoral law along the lines suggested in The Economist of 29 March 1997; and, if not, why not.
§ Lord Williams of MostynFurther research would be required into the detailed arrangements necessary to support a system of "rolling registration" as proposed inThe Economist article of 29 March before a sensible assessment could be made of the costs and any benefits which would follow from a change such as the article proposes. We have no immediate plans to amend the registration procedure but will keep the matter under review.