Viscountess ASTORasked the Home Secretary if he will state what was the total number of absent voters who recorded their votes at the last election.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANAs previously intimated the number of absent voters on the lists which came into force on 15th October, 1922, was for England and Wales, 162,927, or taking only the constituencies which were contested at the General Election 154.446. The corresponding figures were, for Scotland, 7,555 and 17,242, and for Northern Ireland, 4,088 and 763. This makes a total for all constituencies of 184,570, and for contested constituencies of 172,451. Excluding three constituencies (in the Borough of Stoke-on-Trent) for which particulars are not available, 97,530 ballot papers were issued to absent voters whose recorded addresses were in the United Kingdom, and 40,295 of them were returned in time for the counting of the votes. The number of absent voters who had appointed proxies in the contested constituencies was 4,173. It will of course be borne in mind that ballot papers can only be sent to absent voters if they are 741W in the United Kingdom at the time of the election, and the number absent abroad on military or naval service at any moment is always large.