Tuesday Volume 556 8 January 2013 No. 92 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 8 January 2013 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2013 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 139 8 JANUARY 2013 140 The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Nick Clegg): Happy House of Commons new year, Mr Speaker. The Government published our proposals on the Tuesday 8 January 2013 recall of MPs last year, and the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee then published its report in June last year. We submitted an interim response reaffirming The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock our commitment to establishing a recall mechanism and are now taking the proper time to reflect on the Committee’s recommendations. PRAYERS Ian Murray: Happy new year, Mr Speaker. I thank [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] the Deputy Prime Minister for that unvarnished answer. Given that one of the justifications for introducing recall is improved confidence in our democracy, what BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS is his view of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee’s statement: CANTERBURY CITY COUNCIL BILL (BY ORDER) “We are not convinced that the proposals will increase public Motion made, That the Lords amendments be now confidence in politics”? considered. The Deputy Prime Minister: The Committee made a Hon. Members: Object. number of recommendations about our proposals, but Lords amendments to be considered on Tuesday 15 January. equally it accepted that all parties had made a manifesto commitment to introduce some kind of recall mechanism and acknowledged, as I think everyone does, the difficulty LEEDS CITY COUNCIL BILL (BY ORDER) in trying to define serious wrongdoing precisely and Motion made, That the Lords amendments be now determine who should define it and who should set off considered. a trigger for a recall by-election. It is precisely those kinds of difficult dilemmas that we are now trying to Hon. Members: Object. address, because we do not want to resile from the Lords amendments to be considered on Tuesday 15 January. commitment to legislate to introduce some kind of recall mechanism. NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL BILL (BY ORDER) Motion made, That the Lords amendments be now Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries considered. 2. Jim Dobbin (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab/Co-op): Hon. Members: Object. What his policy is on the review of parliamentary Lords amendments to be considered on Tuesday 15 January. constituency boundaries. [135548] READING BOROUGH COUNCIL BILL (BY ORDER) 4. Mr Iain McKenzie (Inverclyde) (Lab): What his Motion made, That the Lords amendments be now policy is on the review of parliamentary constituency considered. boundaries. [135550] Hon. Members: Object. The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Miss Chloe Smith): The boundary commissions are continuing with Lords amendments to be considered on Tuesday 15 January. the boundary review in accordance with the legislation that requires them to report before October 2013. CITY OF LONDON (VARIOUS POWERS)BILL [LORDS] (BY ORDER) Jim Dobbin: Yesterday’s coalition renewal document, Second Reading opposed and deferred until Tuesday “The Coalition: together in the national interest”, includes 15 January (Standing Order No. 20). a vote on the boundary change proposals for constituencies. I know that the Minister is to answer, but I would like to know whether the Deputy Prime Minister will campaign Oral Answers to Questions foranovote. Miss Smith: I think that the parties within the Government have made their positions clear on the matter. As the Prime Minister said yesterday, there will be a DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER vote, it will take place, and I suppose that is that. The Deputy Prime Minister was asked— Mr McKenzie: Does the Minister believe that it is right to redraw parliamentary boundaries on the basis Member Recalls of data from which millions of eligible voters are missing? 1. Ian Murray (Edinburgh South) (Lab): When the Miss Smith: It is the Government’s intention to proceed Government plan to bring forward proposals on the with the individual electoral registration programme, recall of hon. Members. [135547] which will increase and improve the accuracy of the 141 Oral Answers8 JANUARY 2013 Oral Answers 142 registers we work with. It is really important that we all Miss Smith: There will be a set of penalties that relate continue with the support that there is across the House to those actions. I will be happy to write to my hon. for those proposals. Friend so that he gets the fullest possible detail. Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch) (Con): Can my 14. [135560] Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab): When hon. Friend guarantee that the next general election will does the Minister expect a national online electoral be fought according to the new parliamentary boundaries registration system to be in place? recommended by the Electoral Commission, and that it will be fought with individual voter registration? Miss Smith: Many Members take an interest in that issue. I do not have a specific date to give the hon. Miss Smith: I think that the answer to my hon. Gentleman. The Government are looking at the matter Friend is best given within the point that there will be and I shall be happy to discuss it further with him. a vote on those proposals, as I think he knows. On individual electoral registration, I can confirm that the Sadiq Khan (Tooting) (Lab): We all want a register programme is proceeding as planned, and I am happy that is complete and accurate. The Electoral Commission’s to give him further details on that. recent damning report on the move to individual voter registration in Northern Ireland is extremely worrying, Dr William McCrea (South Antrim) (DUP): If the yet the Government have decided to speed up the Lib Dems are still voting against the recommended implementation of individual voter registration and to parliamentary boundary changes, should this House remove the safeguards that Labour put in place. not have the earliest opportunity to vote on the issue, All this is happening at a time when local authorities thereby possibly saving unnecessary public expenditure are having to make record cuts, including to the amount at a time when the public finances are limited, and when that they can devote to electoral registration. Given the should such a vote take place? criticism levelled by the Electoral Commission’s report, what extra are the Government considering to avoid a Miss Smith: I am terribly sorry to be boring, but repeat in the rest of the UK of the experiences in there will be a vote on those proposals. Northern Ireland, which could see millions of eligible voters dumped off the electoral register? Electoral Register Miss Smith: I think the right hon. Gentleman is 3. Jessica Morden (Newport East) (Lab): What steps misrepresenting some of what the report says. The the Government are taking to ensure that under-represented evidence from the report is that continuous registration groups are included on the electoral register. [135549] is working for the majority of the population in Northern Ireland. The report notes that many of the key lessons The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Miss Chloe from the experience in Northern Ireland have already Smith): As I mentioned in my previous answer, it is been addressed by the proposals. It also states: important that we ensure that all those who should be “The findings from this research do not undermine the principle are included on the electoral register, including the of individual electoral registration or mean that the introduction under-represented groups to which the hon. Lady’s question of this system in Great Britain will necessarily lead to similar declines in accuracy and completeness.” refers. The Government, politicians, parties, electoral Commission on Devolution in Wales administrators and plenty of others have a role to play in encouraging people to register to vote. The Government are committed to doing all they can to maximise registration, 5. Mr Mark Williams (Ceredigion) (LD): What including among under-registered groups. They are looking assessment he has made of the work of the Commission to modernise the system to make it as convenient as on Devolution in Wales. [135551] possible and are running various sets of data-related pilots to find out how we can best identify unregistered 6. Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con): What groups and add them to the register. assessment he has made of the work of the Commission on Devolution in Wales. [135552] Jessica Morden: Does the Minister agree that the annual canvass is a really important part of ensuring The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Nick Clegg): On that under-represented groups are on the register and 19 November, the Commission on Devolution in Wales that any attempts to water down the frequency of the delivered a thorough and clear analysis of the options canvass, or give powers to Ministers to abolish it altogether, for fiscal devolution in Wales. The Government welcome should be avoided? publication of the Commission’s report and will respond formally in due course. Miss Smith: Our current plans for electoral registration do include the annual canvass, which will continue to be Mr Williams: I thank my right hon. Friend for that used for as long as it remains the best way to ensure that answer, and I welcome his welcome for the work of the the register is as complete and accurate as possible. Silk commission. We have an opportunity to enable our Assembly to be truly accountable—not just for the Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con): money that it spends by way of the block grant, but for Will the Minister clarify what penalty, if any, will be the money that it raises through taxes, through a partial imposed on those who fail to return an individual devolution of income tax.