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Vol. 742 Thursday No. 96 17 January 2013 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Questions Electoral Register: Young People Severn Barrage EU: Budget Food: Waste Business of the House Timing of Debates Standing Orders (Public Business) Motion to Approve Electoral Registration and Administration Bill Order of Consideration Motion Taxation: Families Motion to Take Note Local Government: Finance Settlement Motion to Take Note Unemployment Question for Short Debate Grand Committee Defamation Bill Committee (4th Day) Written Statements Written Answers For column numbers see back page £4·00 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. The bound volumes also will be sent to those Peers who similarly notify their wish to receive them. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. 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All prices are inclusive of postage. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2013, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 781 Electoral Register: Young People[17 JANUARY 2013] Electoral Register: Young People 782 are 20. So there are some real problems with keeping House of Lords young people on the register as well as getting them on it. Thursday, 17 January 2013. Lord Elton: My Lords, if the noble Lord were to 11 am accept my noble friend’s suggestion, would he make sure that the opportunity to enrol in schools takes Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Exeter. place after suitable instruction in the functioning of this country’s politics and constitution? While he should be on his guard against undue political influence from Electoral Register: Young People the teachers, he will be pleased to know that in my Question experience on all but very rare occasions when a teacher advises supporting one party, the class always follows the other. 11.07 am Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, I can remember To ask Her Majesty’s Government what specific the history sixth form when I was at school. As we got measures they are taking to ensure that the maximum closer to the coming general election, the history number of young people are enrolled on the electoral teacher’s interpretation of the characters of Mr Disraeli register. and Mr Gladstone moved towards Mr Disraeli being better and better and Mr Gladstone being more wicked than he had been before. The idea of neutral school Lord Roberts of Llandudno: My Lords, on this teaching is not one that is very easy.Citizenship education historic day, when we celebrate the 150th anniversary is important. The national curriculum is currently of the birth of David Lloyd George, I beg leave to ask being reviewed and the issue of what role citizenship the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. education plays both in the national curriculum and in sixth-form activity in schools throughout the country Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, I have to add is one that clearly we need to consider further. that my father met Lloyd George. We have a photograph somewhere of my father with him—there are about Lord Maxton: My Lords, given the advances in 3,000 people in the picture, but never mind, it is still smartcard technology in recent years, is it not time historic. that we looked again at the idea of compulsory registration Government, politicians, political parties, electoral of all children from the age of nought, to ensure that administrators and others in society all have a role to everyone is automatically on the register from the age play in encouraging people to register to vote. As we of 18 without filling in forms or anything else? have made clear throughout the ERA Bill’s consideration, the Government are committed to doing all they can Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, the Government to maximise registration, including among young people. intend to introduce the option of online registration They are looking at ways to modernise the system to as from 2014. How far we go towards what would in make it as easy and convenient as possible for everyone effect be a sort of ID card for each child born is a to register to vote. matter on which we will have to have further debate. The noble Lord will of course have seen the discussion Lord Roberts of Llandudno: I thank the Minister for in some of the press about whether parents wish to put his reply. I declare an interest as president of Bite the microchips in their children, so that they know where Ballot, the youth democracy movement. I am not only they are all the time. president, but I think great-grandfather of that movement. Is there not an opportunity for us to give young people Baroness Trumpington: My Lords, is the Minister when they reach the age of 16, possibly 17, an electoral aware that I not only knew Lloyd George but I was his registration form in their schools so they can sign up land girl? [Laughter.] Shut up, everybody. Does the then? We could even give them an electoral registration Minister share my view that it is unfair that students at form when they go to university, say in freshers’ week university, who are birds of passage, should have the when they get their pack of information. We might be right to vote in Cambridge and other university cities able to sign up a large number of people in those two in general elections, thus deciding—due to the power possible ways. of their numbers—the political future of the town where they are students but not permanent residents? Lord Wallace of Saltaire: That is an interesting consideration. I will take it back to the Cabinet Office Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, the question of and discuss it with the Department for Education. I where young people between the ages of 19 and 25 are talked to several head teachers in Westmorland on permanent residents is one of our problems. They are Friday afternoon about citizenship education and how very often transient, given the nature of what they do. we involve young people in politics. Part of the problem I am not quite sure how long my children remained we face is churn. Young people move, so even if they permanent residents at home after the age of 18; they are put on the register when they are 17, they may well were more often at their college or university than at be off it—or be in the wrong place—by the time they home. 783 Electoral Register: Young People[LORDS] Severn Barrage 784 Lord West of Spithead: My Lords, can the Minister moredetailtodemonstrate,inparticular,robustenvironmental clarify whether young Scottish men and women in the mitigation plans, evidence of the low-head turbine Armed Forces will be disfranchised in the context of impact, evidence of net regional and national job the vote for the separation of Scotland from the benefits and affordability for consumers. The Government United Kingdom? remain open to hearing about well developed proposals for harnessing energy from the Severn and elsewhere. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, I understand that that question is under active consideration. Lord Hylton: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness Lord Phillips of Sudbury: My Lords, is my noble for her reply. Does she agree that uncertainty is bad for friend, having twice rightly mentioned the importance everyone? If it went ahead, would a big scheme not of citizenship education, aware that it is currently part replace several new nuclear power stations? However, of the core curriculum but on present reckoning will if there is no big scheme it would give us the opportunity be taken out? Is that not lunatic in light of the declining to design smaller schemes—for example, at the English democratic adhesion of so many young people? Stones or by means of tidal canals. Will the Government at least update and amplify their earlier study so that Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, my understanding the earliest possible decision can be reached? is that we have not yet entirely decided the full spread of the core national curriculum. Of course, not everything that schools do is part of the national curriculum, as Baroness Verma: My Lords, I understand the noble the head teachers explained to me on Friday afternoon. Lord’s concerns. The consortium to which he refers There is a whole range of other activities, including submitted a business case to DECC in November visits to local courts, the local council and the whole 2011.