§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how his Department measures the accuracy of the electoral register.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Office of Population Censuses and Surveys provides an annual comparison of parliamentary electorates with corresponding estimates of the resident population in the publication "Electoral Statistics (Series EL)", copies of which are in the Library. In addition, following the 1991 census, OPCS conducted research on behalf of the Home Office and the Scottish Office to check the coverage and quality of the 1991 electoral register. Copies of the survey, "Electoral Registration in 1991", are also in the Library.
§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought710W each year since 1978 by each local authority against individuals failing to complete electoral registration forms; and what percentage of the total number of registrations in each authority this represents.
§ Mr. MacleanInformation given in the table shows the number of prosecutions for failing to complete electoral registration forms for the years 1979 to 1989 by petty sessional division within police force areas. The prosecuting local authority cannot be identified from the centrally collected records. Data for 1978 and 1990 to 1992 are not available.
Data on the total number of electors included in the register in each local authority area can be found in the annual OPCS publication "Electoral Statistics Series EL", published by HMSO, copies of which can be found in the Library.
711W
Number of prosecutions for failing to complete electoral registration forms by Petty Sessional Division within Police Force Areas 1979–89 Year and PFA/PSD Prosecutions 1979 nil 1980 nil 1981 Hampshire/Basingstoke 2 Suffolk/Mildenhall 1 South Yorkshire/Doncaster 1 England and Wales 4 1982 nil 1983
Year and PFA/PSD Prosecutions Essex—Rochford 3 Essex—Southend on Sea 1 England and Wales 4 1984 Bedfordshire/Biggleswade 2 Essex/Rochford 4 Hampshire/Basingstoke 2 Norfolk/Cromer 2 England and Wales 10 1985 Northamptonshire/Oundle and Thropston 1 England and Wales 1 1986 nil 1987 Derbyshire/Chesterfield 4 Essex/Rochford 5 Hampshire/Winchester 1 Wiltshire/Marlborough 2 England and Wales 12 1988 Bedfordshire/Leighton Buzzard 1 Essex/Rochford 2 England and Wales 3 1989 Hampshire/Alton 3 Hampshire/Basingstoke 4 Hampshire/Petersfield 1 Leicestershire/Loughborough 2 Suffolk/Newmarket 3 England and Wales 13