§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to amend electoral registration forms issued by electoral registration officers to ensure that voters are informed that the details they provide may be recorded on police computers and other public sector databases. [59170]
§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement about the impact of wider statutory disclosures of name and address details from the electoral roll on the willingness of individuals from(a) ethnic, (b) religious and (c) other minority groupings to register for the vote. [59171]
§ Yvette CooperI have been asked to reply.
The Government published on 13 May a policy paper and draft regulations on access to, and sale and supply of, electoral registers which proposes to restrict, rather than widen, such access, sale and supply. The draft regulations include a new specimen registration form and guidance notes which clearly state who may receive copies of the electoral registers and the purposes for which the information obtained will be used. The Regulations were laid on 27 June 2002. In addition, I understand The Electoral Commission intends to produce a leaflet explaining the effect of the regulations in more detail. It is important that all individuals are able to exercise their right to vote and can be reassured that appropriate procedures are in place to handle the information provided for registration.