§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department has received since 1997 in favour of permitting citizens of other EU member states to vote in general elections. [1974]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
Since May 1997 there have been 28 letters from Members of Parliament seeking information about extending the parliamentary franchise to EU citizens. The Government's view is that extending the franchise in this way would need to be by reciprocal agreement with all other EU member states. There are no current proposals by the European Commission for action in this area.