§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to lay a draft Order making provision for the elections to the National Assembly for Wales; and if he will make a statement. [71682]
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§ Mr. MichaelI am laying before the House today a draft of the National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 1999; a draft will similarly be laid in another place. An earlier draft was subject to extensive consultation with political parties and other interested groups last year. Powers to make the Order are derived from section 11 of the Government of Wales Act 1998. It is subject to Affirmative Resolution procedure.
The draft Order makes comprehensive provision for elections to the National Assembly—my intention has been to produce an instrument which can be read without requiring reference to provisions in earlier legislation. The draft therefore incorporates, with modifications to fit the circumstances of the Assembly, provisions from the Representation of the People Acts 1983 and 1985, together with statutory instruments made under those Acts and other legislation, among the matters dealt with in this way are registration of voters, polling and counting arrangements, absent voting, voting offences, campaign offences and election petitions. The draft Order also, however, takes account of the new requirements of the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 in relation to party nomination procedures and the use of party emblems on ballot papers, and the recommendations of the Neill Committee on the limitation of political parties' campaign expenditure at the all-Wales level.
For the assistance of the House I am making arrangements for a summary guide to the draft Order to be placed in the Libraries as soon as possible. Copies of illustrative examples of the ballot papers proposed for use in both the constituency and the regional elections have today been placed in the Libraries of the House. The format of the ballot papers takes account of comments received from focus groups of voters who were consulted on various designs; the ballot paper for the regional elections will contain the names of the candidates on each registered party's list, in accordance with undertakings given during the passage of the Government of Wales Act.
I propose, if both Houses of Parliament are content with the draft, to make this Order next month. The first formal stage of the elections process under the Order is publication of notices of elections. This is scheduled to take place no later than 26 March 1999.