§ Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether there was effective liaison between Northern Ireland's Chief Electoral Officer and the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland during the recent European parliamentary election; at what locations public order problems occurred; and whether any alleged rioters are to be charged with public order offences. [HL3293]
§ The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): This is an operational responsibility of the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland. He has replied to the noble Lord directly.
§ Letter from Mr Dennis Stanley to Lord Maginnis.
§ The Electoral Office has a senior police officer from PSNI Headquarters assigned to provide an effective channel for planning and operational matters during the entire period of the preparation for and delivery of every election in Northern Ireland. I have no reason to consider that the work of this officer, or the mechanisms the Chief Constable has put in place to facilitate effective liaison between our respective organisations, is anything less than entirely satisfactory.
§ Incidents took place on 10 June during polling at the following locations:
§ It is a matter for the Chief Constable as to the prosecution of rioters and I understand he will write to you separately on the matter.
§ Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ How many staff were employed by the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland in voting centres and at the count during the recent European parliamentary election; how many were employed in 1999; what was the total number of electors on each occasion; and what was the total cost of each election. [HL3294]
148WA§ Baroness Amos: Four thousand two hundred staff were employed at voting centres, verification centres and the count for the 2004 European parliamentary election. Approximately 310 of these worked at the count. This compares to a total workforce of 3,500 for the 1999 election where approximately 290 people worked at the count.
§ The eligible electorate for the 2004 election was 1,072,669. This compares with an electorate of 1,191,307 in 1999.
§ The cost of the 2004 election was approximately £2.75 million compared to £2.254 million in 1999.