§ 17. Mr. ThompsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking, with what time scale, to prevent fraud and malpractice in elections in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [125497]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Government have already introduced legislation to extend the time available to the Chief Electoral Officer to scrutinise absent vote applications, one of the main areas where it is thought that abuse of the system takes place. The provisions of the Representation of the People Act 2000 which makes provision for rolling registration will also be extended to Northern Ireland and hence will make the electoral register more accurate. The staffing and other resources of the Chief Electoral Officer are also kept under constant review to ensure they meet changing needs and circumstances. In addition, the Government intend to bring forward other measures which will require legislation by Bill. As already confirmed elsewhere, we hope to find parliamentary time for this before the General Election but the timing will of course depend on the timing of that election.