§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what(a) meetings and (b) correspondence his Department has had since 10 June with the Electoral Commission concerning the regional assembly referendums; and if he will place copies of such correspondence in the Library. [182347]
§ Mr. RaynsfordAs part of a regular series of meetings, officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister met with officials from the Department of Constitutional Affairs and the Electoral Commission on 28 June to discuss the regional assembly referendums.
Since 10 June, officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and those at the Electoral Commission have continued to exchange e-mails on technical issues related to the referendums orders, notably about counting officers' fees and charges, due to changes in the number of assistance and delivery points.
There was also a meeting and some correspondence between an official from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chief Executive of the Electoral 212W Commission on when the referendums orders should be laid and consequently the timing of the referendums. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister side of that correspondence has been placed in the Library of the House.
In addition, I wrote to Sam Younger on 15 June, and an official from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to the Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission on 6 July, with regard to the text of the ballot paper and the explanatory material for the local government options in the forthcoming referendums. Again, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's side of that correspondence has been placed in the Library of the House.