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1002668

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2018
	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, with reference his Department's proposals on the reform of the annual canvass published in October 2018, whether his Department has carried out a risk assessment of the hybrid model for delivering the annual canvass; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure the right to vote is protected for (a) people with protected characteristics and (b) generally.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	188872
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so. An integral part of this is having an electoral registration system that is efficient and meets the needs of the modern citizen.</p><p> </p><p>As part of our plans for reform of the annual canvass, the Government is currently consulting on a hybrid model based on the evidence from 23 canvass pilot projects. The consultation is being conducted jointly with the Scottish and Welsh Governments and will remain open until 30th November 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The pilots have provided us with a strong basis from which to evaluate and mitigate any risks. In developing the model, we have worked closely with stakeholders in the electoral community including the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and the Scottish Assessors Association. Throughout, we have considered how best to support citizens with protected characteristics to ensure our policy proposal for the reform of the annual canvass supports their participation in our country’s democratic events.</p><p> </p><p>We have engaged with organisations that represent their interests. This has included seeking the opinions of the Accessibility of Elections Working Group, whose membership includes leading charities, such as the Royal Mencap Society, RNIB and Scope. The proposals for the reform of the annual canvass were shared with this group on the 9th October.</p><p> </p><p>Our proposals for canvass reform do not affect the ability of individuals to register at any time during the year. The introduction of online registration has made it easier, simpler and faster to register to vote. This can be done online at <a href="http://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/register-to-vote</a> <a href="http://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote" target="_blank"> </a>in as little as 5 minutes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 13/11/2018 16:04:15 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1003590

	registered interest
	date	09/11/2018
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Electoral Register: Proof of Identity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to recommendations outlined in the Electoral Commission's statutory evaluation of the 2018 voter ID pilot schemes, what guidance the Government will be providing for the May 2019 voter ID pilot schemes.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	189733
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to working with the Electoral Commission on its recommendations from its evaluation of the 2018 voter ID pilots. Each pilot is working closely and collaboratively with the Cabinet Office to complete the design and development of successful voter ID pilots.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 14/11/2018 13:37:33 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1020275

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2018
	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, with reference to section 8 of his Department's policy statement, Proposals for reform of the annual canvass, published on 5 October 2018, how his Department defines potential electors.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	199441
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) sometimes have information to indicate that a person is resident at a given address but is not yet registered to vote at that address. Such people are pending or potential electors.</p><p> </p><p>The information indicating that an elector is resident at an address could have come from various sources. For example, it may have been provided by the potential elector themselves, if they have applied to register to vote but their application has not yet been determined. Alternatively, their name might have been added to a Household Enquiry Form returned to the ERO as part of the annual canvass. Or the ERO may have obtained information from local data sources, such as council tax records. Individual citizens can only be added to the register once they have completed an application which allows the ERO to determine their eligibility.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 10/12/2018 17:23:04 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1020281

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2018
	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, with reference to section 9 of his Department's policy statement, Proposals for reform of the annual canvass, published on 5 October 2018, how the Behavioural Insight Team has been involved in communications and the design of registration forms.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	199442
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>The Electoral Commission (EC) has responsibility for designing registration forms, which are subject to the approval of the Minister for the Cabinet Office following consultation with the Scottish Ministers in respect of forms for use in Scotland and the Welsh Ministers in respect of forms for use in Wales.</p><p>We are working closely with the Electoral Commission on the implementation of canvass reform. Canvass reform will lead to new requirements for canvass forms. We understand the EC intends to undertake user testing on the new forms, with a view to making sure the forms are as clear as possible for the citizen.</p><p>The Electoral Commission has worked with the Behavioural Insight Team on certain forms of registration correspondence. Information is available here: https://www.behaviouralinsights.co.uk/trial-results/improving-the-annual-electoral-canvass/</p><p>EROs are free to offer a range of ways to respond to a Higher Education Framework. Currently, many EROs offer text message, online and paper-based response methods. As part of canvass reform, we intend to with EROs and the Electoral Commission to make sure it is as easy as possible for citizens to respond to requests for information from their local ERO.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith grouped question UIN 199444 question first answered 10/12/2018 17:49:15 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1020287

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2018
	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, with reference to section 9 of his Department's policy statement, Proposals for reform of the annual canvass, published on 5 October 2018, what steps the Government plans to take to increase registration in the number of attainers; and if the Government will reinstate a separate section for 16 to 17 years olds in the Household Enquiry Form.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	199443
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to building a democracy that works for everyone. Throughout 2018 we have taken steps to promote democratic engagement amongst young people in particular, including attainers. By making use of the Suffrage Fund, we have delivered three specific projects. These are the Democracy Ambassadors Scheme to recruit and train youth democracy ambassadors, the development and publication of a toolkit for parliamentarians to engage young people and a new secondary schools resource (www.suffrageresources.org.uk).</p><p> </p><p>Our Register to Vote website is widely used by young people: over 7.3 million online applications have been submitted by 16-24 year olds since 2014.</p><p> </p><p>The Electoral Commission (EC) has responsibility for designing registration forms, which are subject to the approval of the Minister for the Cabinet Office following consultation with the Scottish Ministers in respect of forms for use in Scotland and the Welsh Ministers in respect of forms for use in Wales.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with the Electoral Commission on the implementation of canvass reform. Canvass reform will lead to new requirements for canvass forms. We understand the EC intends to undertake user testing on the new forms, with a view to making sure the forms are as clear as possible for the citizen.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 10/12/2018 17:15:53 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1020290

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2018
	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, with reference to section 9 of his Department's policy statement, Proposals on reform of the annual canvass, published on 5 October 2018, what assessment his Department has made of response methods to Household Enquiry Forms in order to improve appropriate messaging and encourage responses.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	199444
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>The Electoral Commission (EC) has responsibility for designing registration forms, which are subject to the approval of the Minister for the Cabinet Office following consultation with the Scottish Ministers in respect of forms for use in Scotland and the Welsh Ministers in respect of forms for use in Wales.</p><p>We are working closely with the Electoral Commission on the implementation of canvass reform. Canvass reform will lead to new requirements for canvass forms. We understand the EC intends to undertake user testing on the new forms, with a view to making sure the forms are as clear as possible for the citizen.</p><p>The Electoral Commission has worked with the Behavioural Insight Team on certain forms of registration correspondence. Information is available here: https://www.behaviouralinsights.co.uk/trial-results/improving-the-annual-electoral-canvass/</p><p>EROs are free to offer a range of ways to respond to a Higher Education Framework. Currently, many EROs offer text message, online and paper-based response methods. As part of canvass reform, we intend to with EROs and the Electoral Commission to make sure it is as easy as possible for citizens to respond to requests for information from their local ERO.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith grouped question UIN 199442 question first answered 10/12/2018 17:49:15 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1020316

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2018
	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, with reference to section 7 of his Department's policy statement, Proposals on reform of the annual canvass, whether the Government has assessed the potential merits of naming individuals such as landlords, concierge and management companies as responsible officers that are mandated to provide Electoral Registration Officers with details that are required in order to send through an Invitation to Register form to residents.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	199445
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>The Government is currently analysing the responses to our consultation, from Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and others. As part of this we are considering the range of responsible officers that could be required to provide EROs with information to facilitate registration.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 10/12/2018 17:38:05 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1020326

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2018
	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, with reference to his consultation on proposals for the reform of the annual canvass, what steps he is taking to put in place (a) an effective year-round registration process and (b) longer-term plans for electoral registration reform.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	199446
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so.</p><p> </p><p>Online registration, introduced in 2014, has already transformed the way many people register to vote by making it easier, simpler and faster. This can be done online at <a href="http://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/register-to-vote</a> in as little as 5 minutes. Three quarters (75.2%) of the over 36 million applications to register to vote since June 2014 were made online and the user satisfaction rate with the website is consistently more than 90%</p><p><br> We keep the registration system under review at all times, especially with a view to its modernising. In doing so, we work closely with a wide range of partners such as the Electoral Commission, the Association of Electoral Administrators, the Scottish Assessors Association and SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives).</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 10/12/2018 17:25:12 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1051318

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2019
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Electoral Register: Expenditure
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse was of the introduction of the system of individual electoral registration; and how much the Government has spent on voter registration in each year since its implementation.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	214593
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>The total cost of IER has been £170m to date. Since the 2013/14 financial year, the Government has spent £27m on voter registration. This is in addition to the significant work done by EROs in their local authorities to maintain the completeness and accuracy of their local registers.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 05/02/2019 09:50:32 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1055945

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2019
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Elections: Proof of Identity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled Next round of Voter ID pilots announced for 2019, published 3 November 2018, which local authorities are (a) continuing to take part in and (b) have withdrawn from the pilot process; and what the reasons were for each local authority that has withdrawn.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	217666
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2019 answer text <p>The British public deserves to have confidence in our democracy. The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future.</p><p> </p><p>A diverse range of local authorities have confirmed that they will be taking part in Voter ID and postal vote pilots for the 2019 local elections. The pilots will provide further insight into ensuring the security of the voting process.</p><p> </p><p>Since the publication of the press release entitled ‘Next round of Voter ID pilots announced for 2019’ published 3 November 2018, East Staffordshire, Peterborough, and Ribble Valley have withdrawn from the 2019 voter ID pilot scheme. We are grateful to the Returning Officers in each of these local authorities for volunteering to pilot voter ID. In each case, we respect the Returning Officer’s decision to withdraw from the May 2019 voter ID pilots. Craven Borough Council has confirmed its participation in the 2019 voter ID pilot scheme. Craven will pilot the mixed photographic and non-photographic voter ID model.</p><p> </p><p>Voters in Pendle and Woking will be asked to show photo ID before they are given their ballot papers.</p><p> </p><p>Broxtowe, Derby, North Kesteven, Craven and Braintree will require voters to present either one form of photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID.</p><p> </p><p>Mid Sussex, Watford and North West Leicestershire will test using poll cards as a means of identification.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Pendle will run a separate postal vote pilot, looking at the security of postal votes and providing additional guidance in postal vote packs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 11/02/2019 16:22:08 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith