HC Deb 26 February 1990 vol 168 cc36-7W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to introduce regulations that allow voters to opt out or opt in to the sale of their name and address from electoral registers; whether he has discussions with the Data Protection Registrar concerning the sale of the names and addresses from the electoral register; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Cope

No. The operation of the electoral registration system requires that the information in the register should be freely available. The provisions of the Representation of the People (NI) Regulations 1986 governing the publication and supply of the register reflect this fact and the conclusion that its use for other purposes could not effectively be prevented. The Data Protection Registrar was consulted before the provisions governing the sale of the electoral register in data form were introduced.

Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to introduce regulations to alert voters to the fact that their name and address are routinely disclosed from the electoral register for other purposes; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Cope

We have no such plans. The electoral register is a public document.

Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to introduce regulations to protect voters who may be vulnerable to attack if their name and address appeared on an electoral register that is available for sale or inspection by the public; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Cope

We have no plans to do so at present, but we shall continue to keep the matter under careful review.