§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the disclosure of information from the electoral register without the consent or knowledge of the voter; whether he has any plans to introduce regulations to allow voters to consent to the sale of their name and address; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter LloydDuring 1989 we received two letters from members of the public and one from an hon. Member about disclosure of information from the electoral register without the elector's consent. We have no plans to introduce regulations to require the consent of electors to the sale of their names and addresses. The operation of the electoral registration system requires that all the information in the register should be freely available to the public. The provisions of the Representation of the People Regulations 1986 governing the publication and supply of the register reflect this fact and the conclusion that its use by commercial organisations could not effectively be prevented.