§ 31. Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the proportion of registered voters who are registered as the official ratepayer or head of household for rating purposes; what is the proportion of registered ratepayers who are women; and what is the proportion of registered voters who are women.
§ Mr. HowardNeither the electoral registers nor local authority rate rolls contain this information. It is known that in 1986, out of an adult population of 36.2 million in England, 18.9 million (52 per cent.) were women and it is therefore likely that out of the 35 million persons registered to vote some 18 million would be women. It is further known that of 17.9 million households in England, 4.6 million were headed by women though households need not equate with domestic hereditament and not all householders pay rates.