HC Deb 10 April 2001 vol 366 cc553-4W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe), of 11 December 2000,Official Report, column 59W, on the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, when it is proposed that on-line access to the electoral register will be provided to registered political parties and the Electoral Commission to enable them to fulfil the requirements of Part IV of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000; and if he will make a statement about the progress being made in providing such access. [158035]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

The project to provide such access has begun and bids to undertake the work have been invited. But it will take time to set up the necessary management mechanisms and put in place the technical requirements. We expect access to be available by 2003.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action he is taking to ensure that registered political parties and the Electoral Commission are provided with updates of the electoral register to enable them to fulfil the requirements of Part IV of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000; [158005]

(2) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. McCabe) of 26 March 2001, Official Report, column 496W, and to the oral statement of 4 April 2001, Official Report, column 422, on updates of the electoral register, when he will publish amendments to paragraph 47 of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 to provide for registered political parties and the Electoral Commission to receive copies of updates of the electoral register; when he proposes that the amendments will come into force; and in what form the updates will be provided; [157984]

(3) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. McCabe) of 26 March 2001, Official Report, column 496W, and to the oral statement of 4 April 2001, Official Report, column 422, on updates of the electoral register, if he will instruct electoral registration officers to provide registered political parties and the Electoral Commission with updates of the electoral register to enable them to fulfil the requirements of Part IV of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. [157985]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

We hope to publish, for consultation, draft regulations making further provision for the sale and supply of the electoral register towards the end of April. Subject to parliamentary approval, we anticipate that the regulations providing for the supply of updates of the full electoral register to registered political parties will come into force by the summer recess. The regulations will provide for updates to be supplied in data format unless the recipient requests otherwise.

In the meantime, it is open to registered political parties to request a copy of each new revised version of the register as it is published or to make other appropriate arrangements to check whether a donor is registered at the time his or her donation is received by the party.

As the supply of the register to registered parties is currently governed by regulation 47 of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, we cannot instruct electoral registration officers to undertake any actions that falls outwith that regulation.

The supply of the electoral register to the Electoral Commission is governed by regulation 46 of the 2001 Regulation. Regulation 46 already provides for the Commission to receive copies of lists of amendments to the published registers.