§ Mr. Matesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the provision of the Representation of the People Act 1985 which extends the franchise to British citizens abroad will come into force; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdThe relevant provision of the Act comes into force today. British citizens living and working abroad who have been resident in the United Kingdom and registered as electors within the last five years can now make annual declarations which will enable them to be registered as overseas electors. Declaration forms and leaflets explaining the registration process, which we have kept as simple as possible, are available from British consulates and diplomatic missions. Declarations must be made before 10 October for inclusion in next year's electoral register. For people who were previously resident in Northern Ireland the closing date for making a declaration is 15 September. Overseas electors will be included in the register for the constituency where they 287W were registered before they went abroad and will be able to vote by proxy at any parliamentary or European Parliament elections which occur while the register is in force.