Member

I think it is fair to say that both the noble Lord, Lord Elliott, and I have been on the wrong side of election night. There are several of us in this building who have, but my heart goes out to those who lose an election by one vote. As the noble Lord, Lord Caine, referenced, seats are becoming increasingly marginal, both in Northern Ireland and further afield, as we have seen from the size of majorities in recent elections. We have to do everything to make sure that every vote counts and that people see the value in voting. As I said earlier, I re-emphasise the datasets that are available to ensure that data is relevant. It is DWP data for Northern Ireland, social housing data from the housing executive, primary healthcare data and access to government and public sector data. That should give some reassurance about how people can register to vote.