§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will change the ballot paper for local, parliamentary and European elections(a) to give greater prominence to party identification and (b) to ensure that candidates' names are listed in a random manner. [46792]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Registration of Political Parties Bill, which is currently before the House, will enable candidates from registered political parties to have their parties' emblems against their names on the ballot paper.
We have no present plans to provide for candidates to be listed in random order on the ballot paper; but this issue will be considered by the Working Party on Electoral Procedures, which I chair. Under the new electoral system to be introduced for European Parliamentary elections, candidates from registered political parties will appear on the ballot paper on a party list in the order determined by the party.