Member

Colleagues asked a further question on the Northern Ireland canvass, whether it is currently outdated and why we have not reformed it yet in line with Great Britain. The reform of the Northern Ireland canvass will require primary legislation. It will take time to get right, particularly in light of the changes to the franchise that I mentioned earlier, which will allow 16 and 17 year-olds to vote. This delegated legislation is a sensible intermediate step to give us time to consider the best model for the Northern Ireland canvass in the future, before we get to 2030.