§ Mr. GrieveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the outcome of his discussions with the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive about the extent to which the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 should apply to Scotland. [145896]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienSubject to a number of limited exceptions the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 applies throughout the United Kingdom. As to Scotland, the exceptions relate to the Electoral Commission's functions in respect of local government boundaries and local government elections, which are devolved matters. However, section 10 (Giving advice and assistance), section 13 (Education about electoral and democratic systems), and section 145 (General function of Commission with respect to monitoring compliance with controls imposed by the Act etc.) confer powers on Scottish Ministers to extend the functions of the Commission under those sections to cover local government elections in Scotland. Section 19 of the208W Act also confers a power on Scottish Ministers to transfer to the Electoral Commission the functions of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland.
In addition, a number of the amendments made by Part VIII of the 2000 Act to the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1983 do not extend to local government elections in Scotland. But the Scottish Parliament and Executive agreed to the amendments to sections 75 and 93 of the 1983 Act (by sections 131 and 144 of the 2000 Act respectively) extending to such elections.
The decisions which the Act leaves to Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament are matters entirely for them.