Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)

I thank all noble Lords for their thoughtful consideration and input, as ever when we discuss matters pertaining to Northern Ireland. Building confidence in our electoral system will help strengthen engagement in democracy and, in turn, strengthen democracy. I am therefore pleased that we have been able to discuss the statement. With regard to some of the specifics raised, I will go in order; noble Lords will have to bear with me as some of them made similar points. I hope to be able to respond to everybody. For the information of the noble Lord, Lord Hayward, Northern Ireland has an online register checker that allows people to establish in minutes whether they are already registered, which I think is incredibly helpful. Many of his questions were slightly outside the scope of these specific regulations. However, I would very much welcome an opportunity to meet the noble Lord, along with my officials, to discuss some of his suggestions in detail—especially as the Government are looking at how to review this measure in terms of a UK-wide solution and next steps. I assure the noble Lord that we are using all the tools at our disposal, as is the chief electoral officer, to encourage sign-up and engagement. Obviously, the world has changed significantly since this legislation was originally done, so we must ensure that we have the opportunity to engage appropriately with all potential voters.