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Elections (3,236)
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Publisher
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what diplomatic initiatives he plans to take in response to the results of the Swiss elections.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what diplomatic initiatives he plans to take in response to the results of the Swiss elections.
Asked by
Daniel Kawczynski
(Conservative)
Answered by
Jim Murphy
(Labour)
Answering body
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
24 October 2007
For answer on
29 October 2007
Answered on
30 October 2007
No new diplomatic initiatives are planned. We enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship with the Swiss Government with regular exchanges at ministerial and official level.
Subjects
Elections; Switzerland
Date
30 October 2007
Reference
161573; 465 c1322W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations she has received in favour of elections to the new Northumberland Unitary Authority being held in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations she has received in favour of elections to the new Northumberland Unitary Authority being held in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009.
Asked by
Lord Beith
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
John Healey
(Labour)
Answering body
Communities and Local Government
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
22 October 2007
For answer on
25 October 2007
Answered on
30 October 2007
[holding answer 25 October 2007]: We are continuing our dialogue with the affected authorities about election dates on the basis of our discussion paper, ““Councils' Proposals for Unitary Local Government—An Approach to Implementation”” published on 22 August. Once we have reached a final view, as reflected in any Order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, we will publish a summary of all representations and comments we have received on this matter.
Subjects
Elections; Local government; Northumberland
Date
30 October 2007
Reference
160813; 465 c1161W
House
House of Commons
As anybody who wants to vote by post can already do so, do we not need powerful reasons for moving away from the current arrangements?
As anybody who wants to vote by post can already do so, do we not need powerful reasons for moving away from the current arrangements?
Asked by
Lord Young of Cookham
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
It is true that a large number of people are used to voting on Thursdays and that that day has some practical advantages in terms of the timing during the week and the availability of local government staff. It is also true that postal and other voting systems have made voting easier now, and that there are fewer complaints about the availability of voting. However, the fact is that we have quite a low turnout at general elections in this country, and we should all be concerned about that.
Subjects
General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour; Elections
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c527
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
May I ask my hon. Friend to consider strengthening the guidance given in two respects, the first of which is the distance that people have to walk? People have to walk a tremendous distance to some of the polling station in my constituency, which is, of course, a deterrent to voting. The second issue is the use of temporary structures on sites that are convenient for people to go to. My local authority never seems to use any temporary structure, because of the cost involved. Could we give some guidance that would strengthen local authorities' ability to make it easy for people to vote?
May I ask my hon. Friend to consider strengthening the guidance given in two respects, the first of which is the distance that people have to walk? People have to walk a tremendous distance to some of the polling station in my constituency, which is, of course, a deterrent to voting. The second issue is the use of temporary structures on sites that are convenient for people to go to. My local authority never seems to use any temporary structure, because of the cost involved. Could we give some guidance that would strengthen local authorities' ability to make it easy for people to vote?
Asked by
Andrew Love
(Labour; Co-operative Party)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
May I say how grateful I am to the hon. Gentleman for extending his friendship to me—no doubt on the basis of our joint membership of the Treasury Committee? As with the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone), it is very much a matter for the local authority to decide on such matters, and no maximum is specified for the distance between polling stations or the distance that individuals have to travel. That matter is left to the discretion of the local authority, which must take into account a number of issues, such as accessibility, ready visibility, disabled access and so on.
Subjects
Elections; Polling stations
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c528
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
If and when the Electoral Commission looks at other options for the selection of dates for general elections, perhaps it could conduct surveys in Paisley, Doncaster and Wakefield on the desirability of late autumn elections—one of which might have taken place on, say, 1 November or 8 November this year—and feed back the strong comments that might be made to the MPs for those areas, to inform better their future advice to No. 10.
If and when the Electoral Commission looks at other options for the selection of dates for general elections, perhaps it could conduct surveys in Paisley, Doncaster and Wakefield on the desirability of late autumn elections—one of which might have taken place on, say, 1 November or 8 November this year—and feed back the strong comments that might be made to the MPs for those areas, to inform better their future advice to No. 10.
Asked by
David Leslie Taylor
(Labour; Co-operative Party)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
I am not sure whether the hon. Gentleman thinks that if an election had taken place, it would have mattered very much whether it was on a Thursday or another day of the week. Fair points have been made during these exchanges. It is true that the larger number of European countries hold their elections on Sundays—and, of course, that some countries even have fixed-term elections. That, perhaps, would cover the hon. Gentleman's point.
Subjects
General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour; Elections
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c527
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I think that many people would welcome a little research to support the view that there ought to be a relaxation of the rules governing election days, because there is nothing sacrosanct about Thursdays. While the Electoral Commission does that, it might also examine whether the national interest, or narrow party interest, is best served by refusing to have a fixed-term Parliament.
I think that many people would welcome a little research to support the view that there ought to be a relaxation of the rules governing election days, because there is nothing sacrosanct about Thursdays. While the Electoral Commission does that, it might also examine whether the national interest, or narrow party interest, is best served by refusing to have a fixed-term Parliament.
Asked by
David Heath
(Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
The hon. Gentleman is correct that there is nothing sacred about Thursdays for general elections, although the last election to take place on a weekend in this country was held on Saturday 14 December 1918. A number of practical implications are involved in switching away from a Thursday. The current legislation says that general elections must be held on weekdays, whereas local elections must be held on Thursdays. There is nothing sacrosanct about these rules, and the consultation procedure will no doubt throw up a number of different views.
Subjects
General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour; Elections
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c527
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
Does my hon. Friend not accept that it would be most undesirable if any polling station or ballot box was placed in superstores such as Tesco—an idea that has been put forward? Tesco has a big enough advantage as it is, without people being advised to go into those superstores, which undermines the small retail sector.
Does my hon. Friend not accept that it would be most undesirable if any polling station or ballot box was placed in superstores such as Tesco—an idea that has been put forward? Tesco has a big enough advantage as it is, without people being advised to go into those superstores, which undermines the small retail sector.
Asked by
Nicholas Winterton
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
With his wide experience, my hon. Friend never ceases to have the ability to surprise me with his questions. I had not anticipated that one and will certainly look into it and discuss it with the Electoral Commission.
Subjects
Elections; Polling stations
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c528-9
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
May I put it to my hon. Friend that the Electoral Commission should be considering this issue, because the highest priority of all of us should surely be to increase the number of people voting? Just because elections have taken place on a Thursday since the 1930s does not mean that weekends should be ruled out. We should have an open mind, and it would be helpful to hear the results of any such survey.
May I put it to my hon. Friend that the Electoral Commission should be considering this issue, because the highest priority of all of us should surely be to increase the number of people voting? Just because elections have taken place on a Thursday since the 1930s does not mean that weekends should be ruled out. We should have an open mind, and it would be helpful to hear the results of any such survey.
Asked by
Andrew MacKay
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
There is indeed a consultation process in place. It was put forward by the Government in their paper ““The Governance of Britain””. The Electoral Commission is making its contribution to that process in its own specialist area, but it would urge everyone to contribute to the Government's consultation procedure on the subject.
Subjects
General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour; Elections
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c526-7
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
The reason why the Electoral Commission has not put forward proposals itself is that it has noted the Government's proposal in the Green Paper ““The Governance of Britain”” for consultation on weekend voting, and intends to contribute to that, particularly in relation to the practicalities of such a move. The Electoral Commission has refocused its activities. It now focuses more on the practicalities and bones of voting, rather than on the theoretical matters that the hon. Gentleman has raised, which it regards rather as the matter of Government and of Parliament.
The reason why the Electoral Commission has not put forward proposals itself is that it has noted the Government's proposal in the Green Paper ““The Governance of Britain”” for consultation on weekend voting, and intends to contribute to that, particularly in relation to the practicalities of such a move. The Electoral Commission has refocused its activities. It now focuses more on the practicalities and bones of voting, rather than on the theoretical matters that the hon. Gentleman has raised, which it regards rather as the matter of Government and of Parliament.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
Gordon Marsden
(Labour)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
I thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply. I find it extraordinary that there are no such plans, given that the Government announced a review of this issue in their paper ““The Governance of Britain””, and given that the Electoral Commission itself published research in 2001 that showed that one fifth of people did not vote because of the inconvenience. Holding general elections on a Thursday has only been a convention in this country since 1935. Most other countries in Europe hold them at weekends and have good turnouts, so is it not time the Electoral Commission considered consulting public opinion on this, in the same way as the Government are going to consult local authorities?
Subjects
Elections; General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c526
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
May I say how grateful I am to the hon. Gentleman for extending his friendship to me—no doubt on the basis of our joint membership of the Treasury Committee? As with the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone), it is very much a matter for the local authority to decide on such matters, and no maximum is specified for the distance between polling stations or the distance that individuals have to travel. That matter is left to the discretion of the local authority, which must take into account a number of issues, such as accessibility, ready visibility, disabled access and so on.
May I say how grateful I am to the hon. Gentleman for extending his friendship to me—no doubt on the basis of our joint membership of the Treasury Committee? As with the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone), it is very much a matter for the local authority to decide on such matters, and no maximum is specified for the distance between polling stations or the distance that individuals have to travel. That matter is left to the discretion of the local authority, which must take into account a number of issues, such as accessibility, ready visibility, disabled access and so on.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
Andrew Love
(Labour)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
May I ask my hon. Friend to consider strengthening the guidance given in two respects, the first of which is the distance that people have to walk? People have to walk a tremendous distance to some of the polling station in my constituency, which is, of course, a deterrent to voting. The second issue is the use of temporary structures on sites that are convenient for people to go to. My local authority never seems to use any temporary structure, because of the cost involved. Could we give some guidance that would strengthen local authorities' ability to make it easy for people to vote?
Subjects
Elections; Polling stations
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c528
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
As I pointed out, Parliament gave local authorities the responsibility for deciding on such matters. Given the detailed point that my hon. Friend has made, it is wise that local authorities should be responsible, because they have the specialist knowledge. If he has a complaint about the polling arrangements in his constituency, he should draw it to the attention of the local authority, which, as I have said, has that responsibility.
As I pointed out, Parliament gave local authorities the responsibility for deciding on such matters. Given the detailed point that my hon. Friend has made, it is wise that local authorities should be responsible, because they have the specialist knowledge. If he has a complaint about the polling arrangements in his constituency, he should draw it to the attention of the local authority, which, as I have said, has that responsibility.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
Peter Bone
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
In the Croyland ward in my constituency, there are three polling districts: CA, CB and CC. There have been four elections in that ward since May 2005. In the two elections when there was a polling station in the CC district, CC topped the turnout or was second. In the other two elections, when there was no polling station in CC and people had to drive out of the estate on very difficult route to vote, the turnout dropped by 53 per cent. Will the Electoral Commission consider making it compulsory to have a minimum of one polling station in each polling district?
Subjects
Elections; Polling stations
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c528
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
It is true that a large number of people are used to voting on Thursdays and that that day has some practical advantages in terms of the timing during the week and the availability of local government staff. It is also true that postal and other voting systems have made voting easier now, and that there are fewer complaints about the availability of voting. However, the fact is that we have quite a low turnout at general elections in this country, and we should all be concerned about that.
It is true that a large number of people are used to voting on Thursdays and that that day has some practical advantages in terms of the timing during the week and the availability of local government staff. It is also true that postal and other voting systems have made voting easier now, and that there are fewer complaints about the availability of voting. However, the fact is that we have quite a low turnout at general elections in this country, and we should all be concerned about that.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
Lord Young of Cookham
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
As anybody who wants to vote by post can already do so, do we not need powerful reasons for moving away from the current arrangements?
Subjects
Elections; General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c527
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
With his wide experience, my hon. Friend never ceases to have the ability to surprise me with his questions. I had not anticipated that one and will certainly look into it and discuss it with the Electoral Commission.
With his wide experience, my hon. Friend never ceases to have the ability to surprise me with his questions. I had not anticipated that one and will certainly look into it and discuss it with the Electoral Commission.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
Nicholas Winterton
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
Does my hon. Friend not accept that it would be most undesirable if any polling station or ballot box was placed in superstores such as Tesco—an idea that has been put forward? Tesco has a big enough advantage as it is, without people being advised to go into those superstores, which undermines the small retail sector.
Subjects
Elections; Polling stations
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c528-9
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I am not sure whether the hon. Gentleman thinks that if an election had taken place, it would have mattered very much whether it was on a Thursday or another day of the week. Fair points have been made during these exchanges. It is true that the larger number of European countries hold their elections on Sundays—and, of course, that some countries even have fixed-term elections. That, perhaps, would cover the hon. Gentleman's point.
I am not sure whether the hon. Gentleman thinks that if an election had taken place, it would have mattered very much whether it was on a Thursday or another day of the week. Fair points have been made during these exchanges. It is true that the larger number of European countries hold their elections on Sundays—and, of course, that some countries even have fixed-term elections. That, perhaps, would cover the hon. Gentleman's point.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
David Leslie Taylor
(Labour)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
If and when the Electoral Commission looks at other options for the selection of dates for general elections, perhaps it could conduct surveys in Paisley, Doncaster and Wakefield on the desirability of late autumn elections—one of which might have taken place on, say, 1 November or 8 November this year—and feed back the strong comments that might be made to the MPs for those areas, to inform better their future advice to No. 10.
Subjects
Elections; General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c527
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
There is indeed a consultation process in place. It was put forward by the Government in their paper ““The Governance of Britain””. The Electoral Commission is making its contribution to that process in its own specialist area, but it would urge everyone to contribute to the Government's consultation procedure on the subject.
There is indeed a consultation process in place. It was put forward by the Government in their paper ““The Governance of Britain””. The Electoral Commission is making its contribution to that process in its own specialist area, but it would urge everyone to contribute to the Government's consultation procedure on the subject.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
Andrew MacKay
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
May I put it to my hon. Friend that the Electoral Commission should be considering this issue, because the highest priority of all of us should surely be to increase the number of people voting? Just because elections have taken place on a Thursday since the 1930s does not mean that weekends should be ruled out. We should have an open mind, and it would be helpful to hear the results of any such survey.
Subjects
Elections; General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c526-7
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
The hon. Gentleman is correct that there is nothing sacred about Thursdays for general elections, although the last election to take place on a weekend in this country was held on Saturday 14 December 1918. A number of practical implications are involved in switching away from a Thursday. The current legislation says that general elections must be held on weekdays, whereas local elections must be held on Thursdays. There is nothing sacrosanct about these rules, and the consultation procedure will no doubt throw up a number of different views.
The hon. Gentleman is correct that there is nothing sacred about Thursdays for general elections, although the last election to take place on a weekend in this country was held on Saturday 14 December 1918. A number of practical implications are involved in switching away from a Thursday. The current legislation says that general elections must be held on weekdays, whereas local elections must be held on Thursdays. There is nothing sacrosanct about these rules, and the consultation procedure will no doubt throw up a number of different views.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
David Heath
(Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
I think that many people would welcome a little research to support the view that there ought to be a relaxation of the rules governing election days, because there is nothing sacrosanct about Thursdays. While the Electoral Commission does that, it might also examine whether the national interest, or narrow party interest, is best served by refusing to have a fixed-term Parliament.
Subjects
Elections; General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c527
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what basis Polish people were able to vote in the UK in the recent Polish general election; and whether any reciprocal arrangements are in place to enable British citizens in other EU countries to vote in British general...
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what basis Polish people were able to vote in the UK in the recent Polish general election; and whether any reciprocal arrangements are in place to enable British citizens in other EU countries to vote in British general...
Asked by
Gary Streeter
(Conservative)
Answered by
Jim Murphy
(Labour)
Answering body
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
23 October 2007
For answer on
29 October 2007
Answered on
29 October 2007
The embassy of the Republic of Poland informed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by diplomatic note that 20 polling stations were organised across the UK, including four in London, two in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. Postal votes were not available to Polish citizens living in the UK.All British citizens living overseas, who were resident in the UK within the previous 15 years, can apply to become an overseas elector. They will then be able to vote in UK general and European parliamentary elections by postal or proxy vote. Voting at embassies and consulates overseas is not available.
Subjects
Elections; Poland
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
161156; 465 c828W
House
House of Commons
In the Croyland ward in my constituency, there are three polling districts: CA, CB and CC. There have been four elections in that ward since May 2005. In the two elections when there was a polling station in the CC district, CC topped the turnout or was second. In the other two elections, when there was no polling station in CC and people had to drive out of the estate on very difficult route to vote, the turnout dropped by 53 per cent. Will the Electoral Commission consider making it compulsory to have a minimum of one polling station in each polling district?
In the Croyland ward in my constituency, there are three polling districts: CA, CB and CC. There have been four elections in that ward since May 2005. In the two elections when there was a polling station in the CC district, CC topped the turnout or was second. In the other two elections, when there was no polling station in CC and people had to drive out of the estate on very difficult route to vote, the turnout dropped by 53 per cent. Will the Electoral Commission consider making it compulsory to have a minimum of one polling station in each polling district?
Asked by
Peter Bone
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Oral questions - 1st Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
As I pointed out, Parliament gave local authorities the responsibility for deciding on such matters. Given the detailed point that my hon. Friend has made, it is wise that local authorities should be responsible, because they have the specialist knowledge. If he has a complaint about the polling arrangements in his constituency, he should draw it to the attention of the local authority, which, as I have said, has that responsibility.
Subjects
Elections; Polling stations
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c528
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply. I find it extraordinary that there are no such plans, given that the Government announced a review of this issue in their paper ““The Governance of Britain””, and given that the Electoral Commission itself published research in 2001 that showed that one fifth of people did not vote because of the inconvenience. Holding general elections on a Thursday has only been a convention in this country since 1935. Most other countries in Europe hold them at weekends and have good turnouts, so is it not time the Electoral Commission considered consulting public opinion on this, in the same way as the Government are going to consult local authorities?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply. I find it extraordinary that there are no such plans, given that the Government announced a review of this issue in their paper ““The Governance of Britain””, and given that the Electoral Commission itself published research in 2001 that showed that one fifth of people did not vote because of the inconvenience. Holding general elections on a Thursday has only been a convention in this country since 1935. Most other countries in Europe hold them at weekends and have good turnouts, so is it not time the Electoral Commission considered consulting public opinion on this, in the same way as the Government are going to consult local authorities?
Asked by
Gordon Marsden
(Labour)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Oral questions - 1st Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
The reason why the Electoral Commission has not put forward proposals itself is that it has noted the Government's proposal in the Green Paper ““The Governance of Britain”” for consultation on weekend voting, and intends to contribute to that, particularly in relation to the practicalities of such a move. The Electoral Commission has refocused its activities. It now focuses more on the practicalities and bones of voting, rather than on the theoretical matters that the hon. Gentleman has raised, which it regards rather as the matter of Government and of Parliament.
Subjects
General elections; Public participation; Voting behaviour; Elections
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c526
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
Responsibility to keep polling districts and places under regular review has been placed upon local authorities under the Electoral Administration Act 2006, which came into force on 1 January 2007. The Electoral Commission has issued guidance to local authorities, but it has no plans to review the rules.
Responsibility to keep polling districts and places under regular review has been placed upon local authorities under the Electoral Administration Act 2006, which came into force on 1 January 2007. The Electoral Commission has issued guidance to local authorities, but it has no plans to review the rules.
Answered by
Peter Viggers
(Conservative)
Asked by
Peter Bone
(Conservative)
Answering body
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Type
Oral answers to questions
Whether the Electoral Commission has considered the merits of reviewing the rules on the siting of polling stations.
Subjects
Elections; Polling stations
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
465 c528
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons