§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out in the Official Report what precise steps are required to be taken by Service men and their families stationed overseas to ensure their right to vote; what estimates he has made of the numbers so registered; and if he will consider, with his colleagues, methods to simplify the procedures for registering and re-registering the service vote.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownTo ensure their right to vote while stationed overseas, Service personnel and their spouses must register as Service voters and nominate a proxy. For this purpose, before the128W qualifying date each year, they are provided with a form, which must be completed, attested and sent to the electoral registration officer for the area in which the qualifying address in the United Kingdom is located. Dependants of Service personnel other than spouses are not entitled to make a Service declaration.
As regards the numbers registered, the only information available to me is that there are 115,268 persons registered as Service voters on the 1976 electoral register. This total, however, includes Service personnel stationed in the United Kingdom, together with other persons entitled to make a Service declaration such as staff of Government Departments serving overseas.
Under the provisions of the Representation of the People (Armed Forces) Act 1976, which will come into operation for the 1978 electoral register, the current requirement for annual re-registration will be abolished, and Service personnel and their spouses, having once made a Service declaration, will be entitled to remain on the register until they cease to have a Service qualification.