HC Deb 19 January 1999 vol 323 cc411-2W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list(a) the uses made of the Electoral Register for non-electoral purposes and (b) those bodies which have indicated to his review of the use of the Electoral Register for non-electoral purposes that they access the Register; and if he will make a statement. [65967]

Mr. George Howarth

The Home Office Working Party is continuing to examine the case for a change in the way in which the electoral register is made available for non-electoral purposes. The main uses so far identified include credit referencing, direct marketing, and the prevention of fraud and money laundering. There is also some use made by charities for fundraising, and by genealogists for research purposes.

Most of the organisations which have responded do not purchase copies of the register directly: those indicating that they use data at least partially based on the register, but excluding local authorities and other Government Departments, were:

  • Abbey National
  • Advertising Association
  • Age Concern
  • Alliance and Leicester
  • American Express
  • Association of British Insurers
  • Bank of Ireland
  • Bank of Scotland
  • Blue Cross
  • Britannia Building Society
  • British Bankers' Association
  • British Retail Consortium
  • Brooks and Bentley Ltd.
  • CACI Ltd.
  • Cadogan Estates Ltd.
  • CBI
  • Celebration File
  • Charity Commission
  • Communicator
  • Computing Group Ltd.
  • Consumer Credit Trade Association
  • Council of Mortgage Lenders
  • Credit Card Research Group
  • Credit Services Association
  • Direct Marketing Association
    • 412
  • Direct Select
  • Equifax
  • EuroDirect
  • Evand Hunt Scott Ltd.
  • Experian
  • Finance and Leasing Association
  • Foxtons Ltd.
  • GB Information Management
  • George Walker and Co.
  • Grattans PLC
  • HFC Bank
  • Hopewiser Ltd.
  • Imperial Cancer Research Fund
  • Institute of Credit Management
  • Institute of Sales Promotion
  • Integral Marketing Ltd.
  • IPA
  • JICPOPS
  • Lewis Group Ltd.
  • Library Association
  • List Experts Ltd.
  • Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society
  • Lowe Direct Ltd.
  • Mailbird Organisation
  • Mail Order Traders' Association
  • Market Research Society
  • MBNA International Bank
  • National Consumer Credit Federation
  • National Geographic Society
  • Newspaper Society
  • NSPCC
  • Oxfam
  • Periodical Publishers Association
  • Post Office
  • QVC the Shopping Channel
  • Reader's Digest
  • Registry Trust Ltd.
  • Response Marketing Ltd.
  • Rothmans (UK) Ltd.
  • Sainsbury's Bank
  • Sears Financial Services Ltd.
  • Small Business Bureau
  • TBDA Ltd.
  • Telegraph Group Ltd.
  • Valldata Services Ltd.
  • Waddies Print Group
  • WWAV Rapp Collins.