Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent) (Lab)

My Lords, these regulations will ensure that those who remain eligible to be registered on the electoral register but did not respond to the last electoral canvass can remain registered while attempts are made to contact them. Strengthening and encouraging participation in our democracy is an essential part of a strong democracy, which is why this Government committed to doing so in our manifesto. It may be helpful to provide some context. In GB, the annual canvass requires most registered individuals simply to confirm that their circumstances have not changed in order to remain on the register. However, in Northern Ireland, there is no annual process; rather, the independent Chief Electoral Officer—the CEO—is required to conduct a canvass at least every 10 years. This requires all eligible individuals to respond by completing a full new application form or risk being removed from the register. All registered individuals who fail to complete a new application are removed from the register at the end of the canvass period unless, having cross-checked their registration record with other government data, the CEO is satisfied that the entry remains valid. In these circumstances, under the existing law, the non-responder can be retained on the register, becoming a retained elector for up to three years. Under the existing legislation, and following the last canvass in 2021, there are 87,000 retained electors—around 6% of the total electorate. Without the changes in this statutory instrument, they will all be removed from the register on 1 February 2025. The CEO’s assessment is that almost all of these retained electors remain eligible to vote. The view of the CEO and the Electoral Commission is that this loss of otherwise eligible electors would negatively impact the quality of the electoral register in Northern Ireland and potentially disenfranchise electors. The Government agree with this assessment. To avoid this outcome, these regulations extend the retention period from three years to six years. Crucially, they provide a framework to audit the retained electors annually. It also stipulates the required engagements needed to encourage re-registration. We are satisfied that the extension from three years to six years is reasonable; additional data is available to the CEO, and improvements in data science since the legislation was made mean that the data is of a much higher quality than it was when the canvass retention provisions were previously set. The CEO has made it clear that he has full confidence in the quality of the data available to him, and that this provides him with confidence in determining eligibility in terms of both retention and, where warranted, removals. This instrument provides a framework for these engagement processes to take place. The CEO will for the first time be required to conduct a residence audit every year to check the residence details of retained registrants against the external data streams available. The CEO regularly checks and verifies entries on the register against the external data to which he has access. These regulations will formalise the process in respect of retained electors and will set out the steps to be taken to encourage re-registration. Where the audit raises a question as to residence at a registered address, a removal warning notice must be sent. If an elector does not re-register within 28 days of a notice, they will be removed from the register where, on the basis of the audit, the CEO remains satisfied no further action will be taken in years 1 to 3. In years 4 and 5, where the CEO is satisfied that retained electors remain resident, they will be sent a household notice showing which electors in the household must re-register or risk removal. They will not at this stage be removed. Given that three years have already elapsed since the 2021 canvass, the current retained cohort will start this new framework in year 4 and be subject to the provisions relating to years 4 to 6 of the scheme. I turn to final year notices. In the sixth and final year, all remaining retained electors will be sent up to three notices informing them that, if they do not re-register, they will be removed. If they fail to respond, they will be removed from the register. This is in line with the primary legislation, which is clear that non-respondents may not be retained indefinitely. The central purpose of these processes is to ensure that reasonable efforts are made to prevent the loss of eligible electors from the register. The CEO and the Electoral Commission have supported the development of this framework; I thank them for their engagement. His Majesty’s Government will work hard to strengthen our democracy by encouraging participation in the democratic process. These regulations are a first step towards that. I beg to move.