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732595

registered interest
date	26/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	General Elections: Public Holidays
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the merits of making future general election days a national holiday to encourage greater participation.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	1090
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government believes that everyone should have the opportunity to vote and has taken steps to increase electoral participation. We are committed to maximising electoral registration to ensure that the largest possible number of people are able to vote in any election.</p><p>The Government believes that there is no clear evidence that voting on a national holiday would lead to an increase in turnout.</p><p>The Government’s manifesto made a commitment to extending the First Past the Post to all UK elections. The Government’s view is that the First Past the Post system is well-understood by the electorate and provides a clear link between constituents and their representative in Parliament. In each constituency, candidates are elected to represent the views of their constituents and in each case a candidate for whom more people voted than for any of the alternatives is elected. Furthermore, in the May 2011 the UK held a referendum where more than two-thirds voted against switching to the ‘Alternative Vote’ (AV) system and in favour of retaining first past the post. As a result, it would be hard to justify ignoring the democratic verdict in the referendum, and equally as hard to make a case for a further referendum on a more ambitious reform such as PR.</p><p>It is believed by some that the introduction of compulsory voting would improve turnout and democratic engagement. However, the Government believes that when participating in a ballot, the position should be that an elector makes a positive choice rather than a negative one. It does not agree, therefore, that the introduction of compulsory voting would be a positive step.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore grouped question UIN 1038 1166 question first answered 04/07/2017 15:17:19 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

732609

registered interest
date	26/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	House of Lords: Reform
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to reform the House of Lords in the current Parliament.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	1165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>As set out in the Conservative manifesto, although comprehensive reform is not a priority, we are committed to ensure that the House of Lords continues to fulfil its constitutional role as a revising and scrutinising chamber which respects the primacy of the House of Commons. We will continue to work to ensure the work of the House of Lords remains relevant and effective by addressing issues such as its size.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 03/07/2017 14:02:08 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

732610

registered interest
date	26/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electoral Systems
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the merits of various proportional voting systems; and if he will assess the merits of introducing a single transferable vote system for future elections.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	1166
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government believes that everyone should have the opportunity to vote and has taken steps to increase electoral participation. We are committed to maximising electoral registration to ensure that the largest possible number of people are able to vote in any election.</p><p>The Government believes that there is no clear evidence that voting on a national holiday would lead to an increase in turnout.</p><p>The Government’s manifesto made a commitment to extending the First Past the Post to all UK elections. The Government’s view is that the First Past the Post system is well-understood by the electorate and provides a clear link between constituents and their representative in Parliament. In each constituency, candidates are elected to represent the views of their constituents and in each case a candidate for whom more people voted than for any of the alternatives is elected. Furthermore, in the May 2011 the UK held a referendum where more than two-thirds voted against switching to the ‘Alternative Vote’ (AV) system and in favour of retaining first past the post. As a result, it would be hard to justify ignoring the democratic verdict in the referendum, and equally as hard to make a case for a further referendum on a more ambitious reform such as PR.</p><p>It is believed by some that the introduction of compulsory voting would improve turnout and democratic engagement. However, the Government believes that when participating in a ballot, the position should be that an elector makes a positive choice rather than a negative one. It does not agree, therefore, that the introduction of compulsory voting would be a positive step.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore grouped question UIN 1038 1090 question first answered 04/07/2017 15:17:19 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

732635

registered interest
date	26/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Voting Behaviour
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the merits of introducing compulsory voting at future elections.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	1038
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government believes that everyone should have the opportunity to vote and has taken steps to increase electoral participation. We are committed to maximising electoral registration to ensure that the largest possible number of people are able to vote in any election.</p><p>The Government believes that there is no clear evidence that voting on a national holiday would lead to an increase in turnout.</p><p>The Government’s manifesto made a commitment to extending the First Past the Post to all UK elections. The Government’s view is that the First Past the Post system is well-understood by the electorate and provides a clear link between constituents and their representative in Parliament. In each constituency, candidates are elected to represent the views of their constituents and in each case a candidate for whom more people voted than for any of the alternatives is elected. Furthermore, in the May 2011 the UK held a referendum where more than two-thirds voted against switching to the ‘Alternative Vote’ (AV) system and in favour of retaining first past the post. As a result, it would be hard to justify ignoring the democratic verdict in the referendum, and equally as hard to make a case for a further referendum on a more ambitious reform such as PR.</p><p>It is believed by some that the introduction of compulsory voting would improve turnout and democratic engagement. However, the Government believes that when participating in a ballot, the position should be that an elector makes a positive choice rather than a negative one. It does not agree, therefore, that the introduction of compulsory voting would be a positive step.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore grouped question UIN 1090 1166 question first answered 04/07/2017 15:17:19 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

732644

registered interest
date	26/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electoral Register
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many eligible electors were not registered to vote at UK general elections in (a) 2015 and (b) 2017; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	1169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>There are no specific estimates of the number of potential electors not registered to vote ahead of the 2015 or 2017 UK general elections. Estimates of the ‘completeness’ of the parliamentary electoral registers (the percentage of eligible people who are registered at their current address) are produced by the Electoral Commision (EC) from time to time, with reference to a published December register. The latest full EC report published in July 2016 relating to the December 2015 register indicated that the register was 85 per cent complete.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 03/07/2017 13:57:12 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

732645

registered interest
date	26/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electoral Register: Internet
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will introduce a process to enable people to check their electoral registration status online.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	1170
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>At present, citizens can contact their local Electoral Registration Officer to determine whether they are on the register. The Government recognises that duplicate applications pose an administrative challenge. For this reason, we are currently gathering information about the scale of the challenge and working with administrators to understand the impact it has on their work. In the light of the evidence gained we will then consider the best way forward.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 03/07/2017 14:03:24 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

732646

registered interest
date	26/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electoral Register
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will introduce measures similar to the Northern Ireland Electoral Office Schools Initiative in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	1171
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2017 answer text <p>Many Electoral Registration Officers already work with local schools and colleges in their area to promote registration and the Government fully supports such activity. As part of my ‘Every Voice Matters’ tour of the country, I have visited many organisations and colleges promoting registration and will be publishing our Democratic Engagement Strategy later in the year. I refer you to the answer I gave to the house in 14th December 2016 (column 781).</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 04/07/2017 15:13:45 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

732657

registered interest
date	26/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electoral Register
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of options to introduce an automatic system of electoral registration for all eligible citizens; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	1118
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>There are no plans to introduce automatic registration, as it contradicts the principles underpinning Individual Electoral Registration. Making an application to register to vote is the right of individuals and can be done easily online, in as little as three minutes, as well as using the traditional paper form, if people prefer. The 2017 UK parliamentary general election was fought on the largest ever register, according to initial estimates.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has a wide-ranging programme of work with electoral administrators to maximise the benefits of IER. This includes looking at innovative ways of using local datasets to simplify registration. Some of these are already being trialled as part of the 2017 annual canvass.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 03/07/2017 13:59:39 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

732324

registered interest
date	23/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electorate: Proof of Identity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to introduce voter identity requirements at future elections; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	963
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government intends to legislate to ensure that a form of identification must be presented before voting. It is intended that this requirement be tested through pilot schemes at the May 2018 elections. Pilots will help to identify how and when it would be best to introduce this new requirement more widely.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 03/07/2017 16:01:34 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

731789

registered interest
date	22/06/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Voting Rights: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to bring forward proposals to reduce the age for eligibility to vote in elections to 16.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	729
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2017 answer text <p>The Government stated in its manifesto a commitment to maintain the voting age at 18. The Government therefore has no plans to lower the voting age in elections.<strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 28/06/2017 16:34:17 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day