§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the conclusions of the working groups set up to review electoral law and practice.
§ Mr. Peter LloydAfter the last general election, the Home Office asked all the political parties and the representative groups of the local authorities for proposals to improve any aspects of the electoral system they felt were capable of improvement. Following receipt of their comments and meetings at the Home Office, five working groups were established, consisting of Home Office officials and a small number of experienced electoral administrators, with the remit of considering changes in the system, in the light of the comments which had been received.
The reports of four of the working groups have today been placed in the Library, and are being issued to the political parties and local authority associations for comment. These reports cover absent voting, automated vote counting—also including consideration of access for disabled people to the electoral process—electoral registration and forms. The report of the fifth working group, on returning officers' fees and expenses, has not yet been finalised.
Officials will meet the political parties in March to discuss the reports, and the local authority associations in June, following the completion of the local and Europoean parliamentary elections. Following this, Ministers will consider options for change.
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