§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if it is his intention that press notices issued by a Minister of the Crown, Government Department and local authority during the relevant period referred to in Clause 118 (2) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill should be(a) posted on the internet and (b) otherwise be made publicly accessible; [115859]
(2) if he will publish a definition of the term press notice used in Clause 118 (3)(d) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill. [115858]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienAs I indicated during the Report Stage of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill on 14 March 2000,Official Report, column 255, a press notice for the purpose of clause 120(3) of the Bill (as it is now) is a notice to the press and not to the general public.
553WIt is the general practice of Government Departments to place their press notices on the Internet. They are not otherwise made available to the general public except in response to specific requests. We do not think that these facilities need to be suspended or modified during referendum periods.
The arrangements in respect of press releases issued by local authorities are a matter for them.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral statement of the hon. Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien), of 14 March 2000,Official Report, columns 255–56, if he will publish guidelines on the role of (a) civil servants, (b) special advisers and (c) local government officers in future referendum campaigns; if he will publish draft guidelines whilst the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill is before Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [115857]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe Government fully intend that civil servants (including special advisers) should continue to be issued with guidance as to their conduct during general election and referendum campaigns. Such guidance is prepared and issued in respect of each general election and referendum campaign as and when it is required. Copies of the guidance issued in respect of previous referendums are available in the Library. Guidance to the employees of local authorities is not a matter for central Government.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish draft orders to be made under Clause 122 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill. [115813]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe purpose of the order-making power in clause 124 of the Bill (as it is now) will be to set up arrangements for the administration of referendums by applying relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Acts and Regulations. A recent example of this kind of order is the Greater London Authority (Referendum Arrangements) Order 1998 (SI 1998–746). We do not envisage exercising the order-making power in the Bill until a referendum to which Part VII of the Bill applies is in immediate prospect.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the increase in the number of registered political parties as a result of the restriction on the description of candidates contained in Clause 19 (2) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill; and if he will make a statement. [115832]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienIt will be for candidates and the organisations which they represent, if any, to decide whether to register. It seems likely that the number of registered parties will increase, but no basis is available for any reliable estimate of the extent of any increase.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has undertaken into the cost to registered political parties of compliance with the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill; if he will place a copy of that research in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [115827]
554W
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienOn 26 May 1999, the Home Office wrote to the main political parties requesting, among other things, a broad indication of the additional administrative costs that would be incurred in order to establish the systems to comply with the statutory disclosure regime. Only the Liberal Democrats submitted any estimate of such costs.
Clause 32 of the Bill enables the Electoral Commission to allocate up to £500,000 in grants or assistance in kind (for example software programmes) to registered political parties to help them meet the initial costs involved in complying with the provisions of Parts III (accounting requirements) and IV (control of donations). This sum has been set on the basis of what the Government believe is both reasonable and affordable.
The Home Office will shortly be inviting the main parties to enter into further discussions about the grants or assistance that the Commission might provide.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to appoint the interim Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission. [115830]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienAs soon as is practicable after the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill receives Royal Assent.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if it is his intention that the duty placed on the Electoral Commission to promote the institutions of the European Union under Class 11(1)(c) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill should extend only to those institutions of the European Union that are directly elected; and if he will make a statement; [115835]
(2) if (a) the European Single Currency and (b) the European Central Bank are institutions of the European Union within the meaning of Clause 11(1)(c) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill. [115834]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienAs part of the Electoral Commission's role of encouraging greater public participation in the democratic process, including by voting at elections, clause 12 (formerly clause 11) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill provides for the Electoral Commission to promote public awareness of the
institutions of the European Union.For the purposes of this clause, the term includes any body constituted under the Treaty establishing the European Community and is not, therefore, confined to the European Parliament. Promoting greater understanding of the role of the Parliament cannot be achieved without reference to the other institutions of the European Union, including the Council of Ministers, the European Commission, the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank. The European single currency is not an institution of the European Union.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of his discussions with the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive about the extent to which the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill should apply to Scotland. [115814]
555W
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienSubject to a number of express limitations in respect of local government and local government elections, clause 151 provides for the whole of the Bill to apply to Scotland.
As I announced during the Report Stage of the Bill on 13 March 2000, Official Report, columns 47–48, the Scottish Parliament and Executive have indicated that they would welcome an enabling power, akin to that in clause 18 but exercisable in this case by Scottish Ministers, to transfer any of the functions of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland to the Electoral Commission. They have also agreed that there should be an enabling power, again exercisable by Scottish Ministers with the agreement of the Parliament, to extend the Electoral Commission's remit under clauses 9(3)(a)(ii), 12(1), and 135(1)(b) to local government elections in Scotland. Amendments to this effect will be introduced by the Government during the Bill's passage in Another Place.
In addition, the Scottish Parliament and Executive have agreed that proposed Government amendments to the Bill to amend section 75 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, so as to make it compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights following the European Court's decision in the Case of Bowman, should extend to local government elections in Scotland.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to begin the appointments process for electoral commissioners. [115829]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienPreparatory work is already under way. A recruitment firm has been selected to assist in filling the posts and it is expected that advertisements will appear next month. The process will follow the Code of Practice for Public Appointments. A panel with independent representation will determine whom to recommend for appointment so that the procedure set out in Clause 3 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill can be followed.