§ Mr. Jim Cunningham:To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans his Department has to revise his proposed all-postal ballots to include additional voting systems for the benefit of disabled people. [140864]
§ Phil Hope:One the of the reasons for using remote voting such as all-postal voting is to assist those people who find it inconvenient or difficult to go to polling stations to vote. In its evaluation of the 2003 pilots, the Electoral Commission recommended that staffed delivery points should be provided at both mobile and fixed locations as part of all-postal elections. These offer voter the opportunity to vote in conditions similar to polling stations for those who find it easier or more convenient to do so.
The Government intend that staffed delivery points will be features of future pilots. Following the successful piloting of innovative processes in the local elections in 2000, 2002 and 2003, the Government plan to ran pilots in the 2004 European parliamentary elections and in any local elections combined with them.
The Government accept the broad thrust of Electoral Commission's recommendation to roll out of all-postal voting to all local elections and will be consulting on the detailed arrangements shortly. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will also be consulting on the arrangements for the local and regional referendums which we intend to be by all-postal ballot.
§ Mr. Jim Cunningham:To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations have been made to his Department regarding coercion and secrecy issues in relation to his proposed postal voting systems. [140865]
§ Phil Hope:A number of letters received from members of the public have mentioned concerns about the security and secrecy of all-postal voting. The same concerns were raised by some respondents to the recent consultation on our proposals for holding all-postal pilots at the European parliamentary and any combined local elections in June 2006.