§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the cost of registering an elector on the electoral register in Northern Ireland; and what is the cost of entering a name to correct an omission from the register. [102547]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe cost of registering an elector on the 1999 Northern Ireland electoral register was approximately 44p. In addition, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland spent £12,465 on press adverts encouraging voters to check the draft register and displaying both the draft and final versions of the register at sub-post offices throughout Northern Ireland.
Correcting the register to amend a clerical error would incur a nominal cost of approximately 20p. It is not possible to estimate the cost of including a name on the register as a result of a successful claim considered at 409W revision hearing and at which a Deputy Electoral Officer presides. The administrative cost of such hearing varies depending on the location and the number of claims heard.