27 May 2004
With permission Mr Speaker I should like to update the House on progress in the administration of the European Parliamentary and Local Elections. A number of Hon and Rt Hon Members raised Points of Order yesterday in response to media reports, and so I thought it would assist the House to give a short report on the picture so far.
No unexpected issues have been reported to my Department in those parts of the country where voting will occur through conventional means.
In respect of the all-postal voting pilots occurring in the North East of England, the North West, the East Midlands and Yorkshire & the Humber, at this early stage, Regional Returning Officers are reporting good progress in general. They all remain on track for issuing ballot packs by next Tuesday the 1st June, in accordance with the regulations.
There are 12 printing contractors involved in these pilot all-postal trials.
Technical issues with data processing and printing machines operated by associates of one contractor - ‘Opt2Vote' - have meant that some Local Returning Officers did not receive their printed ballot packs to the schedule originally anticipated. No doubt this delay has caused some of the concerns that have already been voiced, particularly in the East Midlands where ‘Opt2Vote' have the largest contract. Contingency arrangements appear to be working well. I am assured that spare printing capacity is being employed across the country, and that the printing issue is now in hand. Revised printing schedules from ‘Opt2Vote' indicate that they will be able to meet the 1st June issuing deadline for all local authorities.
Separately, the managing director of one other contractor was taken ill, which caused a delay with printing for two local authorities. I am pleased to report that the Returning Officers have been able to reallocate ballot pack printing in those cases, and I should like to put on record my thanks to those other contractors - and local authority in-house printing teams - for employing their spare capacity.
Overall, there are 127 local authorities taking part in the all-postal pilots, and there are 49 local authorities still in the process of printing. This is within the margins of the targets set, and I am confident that the deadlines to hand-over packs to the Royal Mail will be met.
Of the 40 authorities in the East Midlands, 13 have seen their ballot packs delivered to the Royal Mail already.
In the North West, 28 of their 43 authorities' packs have been delivered to the Royal Mail.
In the North East, 19 out of 23 have been passed to the Royal Mail and other deliverers.
In Yorkshire & the Humber, 18 out of 21 have gone to the Royal Mail.
I am pleased to report to the House that the Royal Mail are responding efficiently and effectively to the challenge of all-postal voting. We have established excellent relations with their management teams in each region and at a national level. I met yesterday with Adam Crozier, the Chief Executive of the Royal Mail, and they confirmed plans to ensure delivery as quickly as possible. Many electors have already received their voting papers, and some have even been returned to Returning Officers. I would encourage electors with postal votes to make their choice, complete their ballot papers, and post them by the 8th June to ensure they are safely delivered to Returning Officers in plenty of time for the 10th June close of poll.
All-postal voting has been piloted over several years now, gradually scaling up from local pilots to this year's four regions. The initiative is being tested to see the impact on turnout levels, and the signs are that millions more electors will participate as a result of receiving their ballot papers at home. This is surely to be welcomed, as our democracy rests on achieving the most widespread involvement of as many people as possible.
I hope the House finds this update useful and that it will pay tribute to the sterling efforts being put in by professional and dedicated Returning Officers throughout the country. They are rising to the challenge of making voting easier and more convenient for the public at large, and I am confident the elections will run smoothly.