HC Deb 19 April 2004 vol 420 cc94-5W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for electoral fraud in each year since 1994. [165100]

Paul Goggins

The information collected centrally by the Home Office is limited to various fraud-related offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and is shown in the table. Similar offences, under other fraud and forgery provisions, cannot be separately identified.

Persons1 proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of various fraud related offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983, England and Wales 1994 to 2002
Tampering with nomination and ballot papers etc., making false declarations as to election expenses, bribery, treating, undue influence and personation offences
Persons proceeded against Persons found guilty
1994 1 2
1995 12 14
1996
1997 9 5

Persons1 proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of various fraud related offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983, England and Wales 1994 to 2002
Tampering with nomination and ballot papers etc., making false declarations as to election expenses, bribery, treating, undue influence and personation offences
Persons proceeded against Persons found guilty
1998 7 6
1999 3 5
20002 2 1
2001 16 10
2002 1 1
1 These data are on the principal offence basis.
2Excluding any cases in Staffordshire.

Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn.