§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to locate electors missing from the latest electoral register; and if he will make a statement. [158887]
§ Mr. SpellarElectoral registration is primarily a matter for the Chief Electoral Officer. However, individuals who are eligible and are not on the register can still have their names added to the register under the system of rolling registration. The Electoral Commission will shortly be embarking on a major publicity drive to encourage this.
The Electoral Office and the Electoral Commission are working closely together to encourage potential electors to register. It is planned to focus on groups who are traditionally under-represented on the register, such as young people, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with literacy problems or whose first language is not English.
The Commission is also funding a call centre to deal with queries on the electoral process including registration. Rolling registration forms are widely available, including electronically from the Electoral office website.