§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of people who were unable to vote because they were either taken seriously ill or taken to hospital after the closing date for postal votes.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe information to form a reliable estimate is not available.
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will suggest to the next Speaker's Conference that consideration be given to allowing those who are taken seriously ill, or taken to hospital after the qualifying date for postal votes, to vote by proxy.
§ Dr. SummerskillSimilar proposals were considered but rejected by the Speaker's Conference of 1965–68. It will be open to any future conference to look at the matter again.
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§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will propose that all those over pensionable age should be allowed to vote by post.
§ Dr. SummerskillNo. Those who are physically incapacitated by reason of age are already entitled to vote by post. To extend this facility to all pensioners would add some 8 million to this number and very greatly complicate the electoral arrangements. We can see no sufficient justification for it.
§ Mr. Gorstasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to enable people who are absent from home on holiday to vote by post at General Elections on the same basis as those who are absent from home on business.
§ Dr. SummerskillNo. This matter was considered by the Speaker's Conference of 1965–68 which recommended that there should be no change in the law in this respect. The matter was considered again by this House as recently as May this year but the discussion then disclosed no such consensus of opinion as would justify action on the part of the Government.