1-13 of 13 results for subject:Elections
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Type
House
Session
2007-08 (13)
Year
Department
Member
More
Cairns, David (13)
Primary member
Answering member
Legislative stage
Legislation
Subject
Publisher
The Secretary of State met the First Minister on 25 January, when they discussed several issues, including the organisation of elections in Scotland.
The Secretary of State met the First Minister on 25 January, when they discussed several issues, including the organisation of elections in Scotland.
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
23 April 2008
Reference
474 c1296
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I agree with the hon. Gentleman to the extent that things would be much easier if there were one system for all elections, and if that system were first past the post.
I agree with the hon. Gentleman to the extent that things would be much easier if there were one system for all elections, and if that system were first past the post.
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Asked by
Willie Rennie
(Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Would the organisation of elections in Scotland not be made much simpler if we adopted the same voting system for all elections in Scotland and throughout the UK? Would the best system not be the single transferable vote by proportional representation, which was agreed by the Minister's party and mine when we were friends together in the Scottish Executive?
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
23 April 2008
Reference
474 c1296-7
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend has done more than any other Member of the House to raise the issue of under-registration of voters. The progress made in the past couple of years is in no small measure due to his efforts. Following the passage of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, I wrote to registration officers in Scotland, in February 2007 and again in August 2007, pointing out their new duties under the Act and asking what progress had been made. I tell my hon. Friend in all candour that I am disappointed with the progress that has been made. We might have to revisit the issue in the light of any reforms that follow the recommendations of the Gould report.
My hon. Friend has done more than any other Member of the House to raise the issue of under-registration of voters. The progress made in the past couple of years is in no small measure due to his efforts. Following the passage of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, I wrote to registration officers in Scotland, in February 2007 and again in August 2007, pointing out their new duties under the Act and asking what progress had been made. I tell my hon. Friend in all candour that I am disappointed with the progress that has been made. We might have to revisit the issue in the light of any reforms that follow the recommendations of the Gould report.
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Asked by
Chris Ruane
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
I thank the Minister for that reply. I also congratulate him on the work that he did on electoral administration as a Minister in the Department for Constitutional Affairs. Progress has been made on registration; indeed, there are an extra 500,000 people on the electoral register. Progress has been mixed across the UK. In my constituency we have an extra 5,000 people on the register. What actions can the Minister take in Scotland against recalcitrant EROs—electoral registration officers—who do not take their work seriously, do not think that people should be registered to vote and have not taken up the powers that he has given them to do the job?
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
23 April 2008
Reference
474 c1296
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
No, I do not agree. One of the most disappointing aspects of the debate has been the consistent misrepresentation of what Mr. Gould actually believes. I remind the hon. Gentleman of what Mr. Gould told him about devolution when he gave evidence in this place:"““This was…raised in the context of a chief returning officer. The concept here was that if there is going to be accountability there needs to be a point of focus…The recommendation that the jurisdictional responsibility for that management of the election be located in Scotland…so it is a management process here…if the legislation remains in Westminster for the parliamentary elections that is fine””."
That is what Mr. Gould said, and the hon. Gentleman's party should stop misrepresenting him.
No, I do not agree. One of the most disappointing aspects of the debate has been the consistent misrepresentation of what Mr. Gould actually believes. I remind the hon. Gentleman of what Mr. Gould told him about devolution when he gave evidence in this place:"““This was…raised in the context of a chief returning officer. The concept here was that if there is going to be accountability there needs to be a point of focus…The recommendation that the jurisdictional responsibility for that management of the election be located in Scotland…so it is a management process here…if the legislation remains in Westminster for the parliamentary elections that is fine””."
That is what Mr. Gould said, and the hon. Gentleman's party should stop misrepresenting him.
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Asked by
Angus Brendan MacNeil
(Scottish National Party)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and happy St. George's day. Is the Electoral Reform Society right or wrong when it says that it would be an ““affront to democracy”” if Westminster controlled the Scottish elections?
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
23 April 2008
Reference
474 c1297
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
As my right hon. Friend knows, that issue is currently out to consultation by the Administration in Scotland. Their preferred option would be to decouple the elections and to have the local council elections a year later, as he suggested, which is one of the options in the consultation. It is important to send the people of Scotland a clear signal today that what occurred on 3 May last year will not happen again, that we will not see a repeat of the confusion that led to the unacceptable number of spoilt papers again, and that steps have been taken by the Government and will be taken in due course by the Scottish Administration to restore people's confidence in the integrity of the electoral system.
As my right hon. Friend knows, that issue is currently out to consultation by the Administration in Scotland. Their preferred option would be to decouple the elections and to have the local council elections a year later, as he suggested, which is one of the options in the consultation. It is important to send the people of Scotland a clear signal today that what occurred on 3 May last year will not happen again, that we will not see a repeat of the confusion that led to the unacceptable number of spoilt papers again, and that steps have been taken by the Government and will be taken in due course by the Scottish Administration to restore people's confidence in the integrity of the electoral system.
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Asked by
Gavin Strang
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Having the privilege of representing the constituency that, sadly, had the highest number of spoilt ballot papers last May, can I urge my hon. Friend to continue working constructively on the follow-through to the Gould report? In particular, does he agree that it is vital to decouple the Scottish Parliament elections from the Scottish local government elections? That would completely eliminate the need for a joint ballot paper. Obviously these are matters for the Scottish Administration, too, but may I also suggest that he give careful consideration to the recommendation of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that the Scottish local government elections be held a year after the Scottish Parliament elections?
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
23 April 2008
Reference
474 c1297
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
What recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the organisation of elections in Scotland.
What recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the organisation of elections in Scotland.
Asked by
Chris Ruane
(Labour)
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Tabled on
3 April 2008
For answer on
23 April 2008
Answered on
23 April 2008
The Secretary of State met the First Minister on 25 January, when they discussed several issues, including the organisation of elections in Scotland.
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
23 April 2008
Reference
474 c1296; 199791
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was of running the Scottish Parliamentary Elections of (a) 1999, (b) 2003 and (c) 2007.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was of running the Scottish Parliamentary Elections of (a) 1999, (b) 2003 and (c) 2007.
Asked by
Pete Wishart
(Scottish National Party)
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
28 January 2008
For answer on
31 January 2008
Answered on
31 January 2008
The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999 and was not therefore responsible for the initial funding of the Scottish Parliament election in May 1999. Since July 1999, the Office has, however, paid £5.562 million in respect of the 1999 election. Earlier costs were incurred by the Scottish Office and figures are not available.The Office has paid £12.071 million for the 2003 election; it is estimated that the cost of the 2007 election will be £19 million. The final cost of the 2007 election will not be known until all the accounts are submitted by returning officers; they have 12 months in which to submit accounts.
Subjects
Elections; Scotland; Scottish Parliament
Date
31 January 2008
Reference
471 c521W; 183425
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what fees were paid to DRS Data and Research Services plc to administer the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary Election.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what fees were paid to DRS Data and Research Services plc to administer the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary Election.
Asked by
Pete Wishart
(Scottish National Party)
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
28 January 2008
For answer on
31 January 2008
Answered on
31 January 2008
The Scotland Office has made no payments directly to DRS. The responsibility for making such payments lies with returning officers who have 12 months in which to submit accounts to the Secretary of State.
Subjects
Elections; Scottish Parliament
Date
31 January 2008
Reference
471 c521W; 183426
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish minutes of meetings held with Scotland Office Ministers and the Ron Gould Scottish Elections review team.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish minutes of meetings held with Scotland Office Ministers and the Ron Gould Scottish Elections review team.
Asked by
David Mundell
(Conservative)
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
14 November 2007
For answer on
19 November 2007
Answered on
22 November 2007
[holding answer 19 November 2007]: The one meeting between Scotland Office Ministers and Ron Gould plus his review team was a private discussion and no agreed minute was taken. A note drawn up for internal purposes only covered the seven key issue areas which Gould made the focus of his review. Also discussed was Mr. Gould’s request to have access to ballot paper images to assist in his analysis of rejected papers. I will provide to the Scottish Affairs Committee, to assist them with their discussions, the timelines for legislation and ballot paper design that were requested by Ron Gould as written evidence from the Scotland Office.
Subjects
Elections; Scotland; Scottish Parliament; Scottish Elections Review
Date
22 November 2007
Reference
165814; 467 c1063-4W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to publish the Government's response to the Ron Gould report on the Scottish elections.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to publish the Government's response to the Ron Gould report on the Scottish elections.
Asked by
David Mundell
(Conservative)
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
14 November 2007
For answer on
19 November 2007
Answered on
19 November 2007
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already responded positively to five recommendations in the Gould report and I have confirmed we will shortly launch a consultation exercise on the others that fall within his responsibilities. Once we have considered views from the consultation, we expect to publish a formal response to the report in the spring next year.
Subjects
Elections; Scotland; Scottish Parliament; Scottish Elections Review
Date
19 November 2007
Reference
467 c457W; 165815
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Scotland Office submitted its views on the de-coupling of the Scottish local government elections and the Scottish Parliament elections to the Scottish Executive.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Scotland Office submitted its views on the de-coupling of the Scottish local government elections and the Scottish Parliament elections to the Scottish Executive.
Asked by
Ben Wallace
(Conservative)
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
8 November 2007
For answer on
13 November 2007
Answered on
13 November 2007
The decision to decouple the Scottish local government elections from the Scottish Parliament elections is a matter for the Scottish Executive. In his statement to the House on 23 October, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland indicated he would welcome such a decision.
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
13 November 2007
Reference
163960; 467 c77W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations the Scotland Office made to the then Department for Constitutional Affairs on the timetable for the enactment of the Electoral Administration Act 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations the Scotland Office made to the then Department for Constitutional Affairs on the timetable for the enactment of the Electoral Administration Act 2006.
Asked by
Ben Wallace
(Conservative)
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
8 November 2007
For answer on
13 November 2007
Answered on
13 November 2007
The Electoral Administration Bill received Royal Assent on 11 July 2006, almost 10 months before the Scottish elections in May 2007. As a member of the ministerial team taking the Bill through, I was fully aware of the timetable for enactment.
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
13 November 2007
Reference
163961; 467 c77W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the legislation sub-group of his Department's 2007 elections steering group was consulted on the proposed ballot paper for the Scottish Parliament elections.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the legislation sub-group of his Department's 2007 elections steering group was consulted on the proposed ballot paper for the Scottish Parliament elections.
Asked by
Ben Wallace
(Conservative)
Answered by
David Cairns
(Labour)
Answering body
Scotland Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
8 November 2007
For answer on
13 November 2007
Answered on
13 November 2007
Neither the 2007 elections steering group nor its legislation sub-group were established by the Scotland Office. The elections steering group was chaired by the Scottish Executive. The steering group's legislation sub-group was chaired by the Scottish Executive when the local government legislation was under discussion and the Scotland Office when the Scottish Parliament legislation was under discussion. The sub-group was consulted directly on the proposed ballot paper for the Scottish Parliament election at a meeting of the sub-group on 10 August 2006.
Subjects
Elections; Scotland
Date
13 November 2007
Reference
467 c77W; 163962
House
House of Commons