§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated accuracy of the coverage of the electoral register as a percentage of those eligible to register.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe most recent estimate of the accuracy of the electoral register nationwide was produced by the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys in its survey "Electoral Registration in 1981", which found that, in 1981, 6.5 per cent. of eligible people in Great Britain were not included in the electoral register for their qualifying address. The OPCS's survey of six inner city areas in 1983 to 1984, published last August, found that, in 1984, between 4 and 17 per cent. of eligible people were not included. The Home Office has taken a range of initiatives aimed at increasing the accuracy of the electoral register and we shall be continuing to work for improvements.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions were brought in the latest year for which figures are available in respect of failure to register as an elector.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe information held centrally, which may be incomplete, indicates that there was one prosecution in 1985. No figures of prosecutions are yet available for 1986.