§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the amount spent on advertising the rights of overseas voters under the Representation of the People Act 1989 for each financial year at current prices, plus the amount projected for expenditure in the current year.
§ Mrs. RumboldSpending on advertising the rights of overseas voters under the Representation of the People Act 1989 occurred only in the financial year 1990–91. The sum involved was £705,000 (£691,0001 at current prices). No advertising expenditure is planned in the current financial year.
1 Source of Media Inflation Index: Advertising Association Press/TV and DMB & B estimate.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve levels of electoral registration prior to the 1992 general election; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldWe have already undertaken a number of steps to support electoral registration officers in their task of compiling an accurate register for 1992, as in previous years. We conducted a nation-wide advertising campaign designed to encourage people to register, and produced publicity material aimed at encouraging young people to register. Research continued into the working methods of electoral registration officers, and the results were used to inform guidance and advice to registration officers.
§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the amounts spent on advertising for electoral registration for each financial year from 1979 at current prices, plus the amount projected for expenditure in the current year.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe information requested is given in the table:
Actual figure Current price1 £ £ 1979–80 47,000 122,000 1980–81 nil n/a 1981–82 80,000 151,000 1982–83 87,000 145,000 1983–84 102,000 157,000 1984–85 132,000 194,000 1985–86 152,000 204,000 1986–87 588,000 709,000 1987–88 257,000 279,000 1988–89 457,000 480,000 1989–90 452,000 450,000 1990–91 923,000 905,000 1991–92 627,000 627,000 1 Source of media inflation index: Advertising Association Press/TV, and DMB and B estimate. n/a—not applicable.
Note: All figures are rounded to nearest £1,000.
The electoral registration budget for the financial year 1992–93 is £642,000.
53W
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the amount spent on electoral registration(a) by his Department and (b) by local authorities in the years (i) 1988–89, (ii) 1989–90 (iii) 1990–91 and (iv) 1991–92, respectively, showing also the figures at 1988–89 prices.
§ Mrs. RumboldDetails of local authority spending on electoral registration are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Details of Home Office spending, on advertising and publicity, is as follows:
>Actual figure 1988–89 price1 £ £ 1988–89 472,000 472,000 1989–90 481,000 456,000 1990–91 1,070,000 998,000 1991–92 647,000 616,000 1 Source of Media Inflation Index: Advertising Association Press/TV and DM B & B estimate.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure has been incurred by his Department on the electoral registration of expatriate voters; and what are the numbers who have registered to vote in the United Kingdom.
§ Mrs. RumboldAdvertising campaigns to inform British citizens living abroad of their voting rights were undertaken in 1986, when the overseas franchise was introduced by the Representation of the People Act 1985; and in 1990, upon the extension of the qualifying period from five to 20 years, under the Representation of the People Act 1989. The total costs were £279,000 and £705,000 respectively.
There are 34,454 overseas electors on the 1991–92 electoral register.