§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Lord Filkin)In December it was announced that, subject to the European Parliamentary and Local Elections Pilot Bill achieving Royal Assent, the north-east and East Midlands regions would pilot all postal voting at the combined European parliamentary and local elections in June 2004. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Mr Christopher Leslie can today announce that it is our intention that two further regions will also hold all-postal pilots. These regions will be Yorkshire and the Humber and the north-west.
My honourable friend is pleased to be able to announce these further regions so that the important work of preparing for the pilot elections can begin in earnest. We have identified Yorkshire and the Humber and the north-west after discussion with electoral administrators and look forward to those regions, alongside the north-east and East Midlands, helping us to progress our electoral modernisation agenda.