Northern Ireland (Elections) Bill — Disqualification — 22 Apr 1998

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

I beg to move amendment No. 5, in page 1, line 25, leave out 'local' and insert 'Parliamentary'.

This is a probing amendment. I am curious to know why the Government want to use the local rather than the parliamentary electoral roll for this purpose. I am sure that there is a good reason, but it is not immediately apparent to me. I assume that some people are on one register but not on the other. What is the precise reason for using the register of local electors rather than the electoral register used for parliamentary elections? Will the Minister elucidate that point?

Mr. Paul Murphy:

The first reason is that the franchise reflects that which will be used for the Scottish Parliament. The second reason is that nine members of the House of Lords will be able to vote and we should not deny them that opportunity in Northern Ireland. The third

I beg to move amendment No. 22, in page 2, leave out lines 12 and 13.

The Second Deputy Chairman:

With this, it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments: No. 7, in page 2, leave out lines 15 and 16.

No. 8, in page 2, leave out line 17.

No. 9, in page 2, line 17, at end insert

Thurrock (Mr. Mackinlay), the Minister should tell the Committee exactly what is being done to combat electoral fraud and to ensure that the electoral process is honest, because IRA-Sinn Fein are not in the slightest worried about complying with UK electoral law; they are out to break it in every way they can. That being so, we should be told whether the Government are thinking of other means of identification for both the assembly and the referendum.

We have not yet been told anything about how people will be identified in either of the electoral turnouts. We need to know, because the parties will want to have a clear idea of what they will be expected to do in the run-up to the assembly elections and, indeed, to the referendum. Therefore, as the Government are taking this very wide power to make provision about the election and

"any matter relating to it"--

it is not just some matters--perhaps we can be told exactly what is intended.

Subsection (6)(a) says that an order may

"provide for an alteration made after a specified date in a register of local electors to be disregarded".

There is a cut-off date whereby a name can be placed on the electoral register. I am one of those folk who have always taken a fairly black-and-white view of the electoral register. As the Minister and the Committee will know, the register is compiled using electors' place of residence on 15 September in Northern Ireland and 10 October in Great Britain. That extra month in Northern Ireland gives the parties, the chief electoral officer and his deputies an opportunity to investigate those claiming the right to cast their ballot in elections in Northern Ireland. I welcome that.

I would be happy if the date of 15 September applied to Great Britain as well as to Northern Ireland. A date of 10 October creates a huge problem on this side of the Irish sea, as students return to university and are registered both at home and at university. A 15 September date would probably mean that 90 per cent. of those students would be at home and registered at home. A whole series of problems would then disappear overnight. I have made that point a number of times to the Home Office, but so far--

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

I beg to move amendment No. 2, in page 2, leave out lines 21 to 23 and insert--

'(2) An order under subsection (1) above may--

(a) require a seat last filled by a member of a registered party to be filled by another member nominated by that party (without a by-election);

(b) provide for a by-election to be held;

(c) prescribe such other method of filling vacancies as the Secretary of State thinks fit; and different provision (including provision that a vacancy shall not be filled) may be made for different circumstances.

(3) In this section "registered party" means any party registered under any enactment providing for the registration of political parties.'.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 3 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

That applies to shadow Ministers and Ministers when they take office. It cannot be clearer than that.

Question put, That the amendment be made:--

The Committee divided: Ayes 10, Noes 174.

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All Votes Cast - sorted by constituency

MPs for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party are marked in red. Also shows which MPs were ministers at the time of this vote. You can also see every eligible MP including those who did not vote in this division.

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
Frank DoranAberdeen CentralLabno
Mr Malcolm SavidgeAberdeen NorthLabno
Anne BeggAberdeen SouthLab (minister)no
Mr Barry JonesAlyn and DeesideLabno
Mrs Ray MichieArgyll and ButeLDemno
Geoff HoonAshfieldLab (minister)no
Michael ClaphamBarnsley West and PenistoneLabno
John HuttonBarrow and FurnessLabno
Mr Andrew HunterBasingstokeConaye
Martin LintonBatterseaLabno
Peter RobinsonBelfast EastDUPtellaye
Martin SmythBelfast SouthUUPaye
Gisela StuartBirmingham, EdgbastonLab (minister)no
Mr Robin CorbettBirmingham, ErdingtonLab (minister)no
Lynne JonesBirmingham, Selly OakLabno
Joan HumbleBlackpool North and FleetwoodLabno
Gordon MarsdenBlackpool SouthLabno
Mr John McWilliamBlaydonLabno
David CrausbyBolton North EastLab (minister)no
Brian IddonBolton South EastLabno
Terry RooneyBradford NorthLabno
Gerry SutcliffeBradford SouthLabno
Mr Richard LivseyBrecon and RadnorshireLDem (front bench)no
Desmond TurnerBrighton, KemptownLabno
David LepperBrighton, PavilionLabno
Nick PalmerBroxtoweLabno
Mr Peter PikeBurnleyLabno
Chris McCaffertyCalder ValleyLabno
Tony WrightCannock ChaseLabno
Mr Jon Owen JonesCardiff CentralLab (minister)no
Dr Alan WilliamsCarmarthen East and DinefwrLabno
Mr Tony BennChesterfieldLabno
Christine RussellCity of ChesterLabno
Hugh BayleyCity of YorkLab (minister)no
Mr Tony WorthingtonClydebank and MilngavieLab (minister)no
Tom ClarkeCoatbridge and ChrystonLab (minister)no
Bob RussellColchesterLDemno
Ann WintertonCongletonConaye
Bob AinsworthCoventry North EastLab (minister)tellno
Gwyneth DunwoodyCrewe and NantwichLabno
David HansonDelynLabno
Mr Andrew BennettDenton and ReddishLabno
Bob LaxtonDerby NorthLabno
Margaret BeckettDerby SouthLab (minister)no
Mrs Ann TaylorDewsburyLab (minister)no
Professor Ross CranstonDudley NorthLabno
John McFallDumbartonLab (minister)no
Russell BrownDumfriesLabno
John McAllionDundee EastLabno
Mr Clive SoleyEaling, Acton and Shepherd's BushLab (minister)no
John CummingsEasingtonLabno
Mr Roy BeggsEast AntrimUUPaye
Stephen TimmsEast HamLabno
Adam IngramEast KilbrideLab (minister)no
Mr William RossEast LondonderryUUPaye
John Home RobertsonEast LothianLabno
Jim MurphyEast RenfrewshireLabno
Mr David ChidgeyEastleighLDem (front bench)no
Ian StewartEcclesLabno
Gavin StrangEdinburgh East and MusselburghLab (minister)no
Malcolm ChisholmEdinburgh North and LeithLabno
Donald GorrieEdinburgh WestLDemno
Liz BlackmanErewashLabno
Dennis CanavanFalkirk Westwhilst Labno
Ms Candy AthertonFalmouth and CamborneLabno
Alasdair MorganGalloway and Upper NithsdaleSNPno
Mr John MaxtonGlasgow CathcartLabno
Ian DavidsonGlasgow PollokLab (minister)no
Thomas McAvoyGlasgow RutherglenLab (minister)no
David MarshallGlasgow ShettlestonLabno
Martin CatonGowerLab (minister)no
Mr Chris PondGraveshamLabno
Dr Norman GodmanGreenock and InverclydeLabno
Nick RaynsfordGreenwich and WoolwichLab (minister)no
Sylvia HealHalesowen and Rowley Regiswhilst Labno
Mrs Alice MahonHalifaxLabno
Phil WillisHarrogate and KnaresboroughLDem (front bench)no
Tony McNultyHarrow EastLabno
Mr Ivan HendersonHarwichLabno
Jon TrickettHemsworthLabno
Andrew DismoreHendonLabno
Tom LevittHigh PeakLabno
Greg PopeHyndburnLab (minister)no
Mike GapesIlford SouthLabno
Mr David StewartInverness East, Nairn and LochaberLabno
Mr Jamie CannIpswichLabno
Don TouhigIslwynLabno
Stephen HepburnJarrowLab (minister)no
Des BrowneKilmarnock and LoudounLab (minister)no
Edward DaveyKingston and SurbitonLDem (front bench)no
Alan JohnsonKingston upon Hull West and HessleLabno
Roger BerryKingswoodLabno
Mr Hilton DawsonLancaster and WyreLabno
George MudieLeeds EastLab (minister)no
Keith VazLeicester EastLabno
Patricia HewittLeicester WestLabno
Norman BakerLewesLDem (front bench)no
Bridget PrenticeLewisham EastLab (minister)no
Jim DowdLewisham WestLab (minister)no
Gillian MerronLincolnLabno
Maria EagleLiverpool, GarstonLab (minister)no
Jane KennedyLiverpool, WavertreeLab (minister)no
Robert WareingLiverpool, West DerbyLabno
Margaret MoranLuton SouthLabno
Nicholas WintertonMacclesfieldConaye
Alan MealeMansfieldLabno
Robert Marshall-AndrewsMedwayLabno
Elfyn LlwydMeirionnydd Nant ConwyPC (front bench)no
Mr Ted RowlandsMerthyr Tydfil and RhymneyLab (minister)no
Ashok KumarMiddlesbrough South and East ClevelandLabno
Mr Eric ClarkeMidlothianLabno
Phyllis StarkeyMilton Keynes South WestLabno
Siobhain McDonaghMitcham and MordenLabno
Mr Huw EdwardsMonmouthLabno
Mr John GunnellMorley and RothwellLabno
Frank RoyMotherwell and WishawLab (minister)no
Mr David RendelNewburyLDemno
Jim CousinsNewcastle upon Tyne CentralLabno
Nick BrownNewcastle upon Tyne East and WallsendLab (minister)no
Mrs Llin GoldingNewcastle-under-LymeLabno
Mr Alan HowarthNewport EastLab (minister)no
Mr Seamus MallonNewry and ArmaghSDLPno
Mr Bill O'BrienNormantonLabno
Ian PaisleyNorth AntrimDUP (front bench)aye
Nick HarveyNorth DevonLDemno
Robert McCartneyNorth DownUKUPaye
Mr Harry BarnesNorth East DerbyshireLabno
Menzies CampbellNorth East FifeLDem (front bench)no
Mr Brian WhiteNorth East Milton KeynesLabno
Simon HughesNorth Southwark and BermondseyLDem (front bench)no
Michael WillsNorth SwindonLabno
Stephen ByersNorth TynesideLab (minister)no
Sally KeebleNorthampton NorthLabno
Ian GibsonNorwich NorthLabno
John HeppellNottingham EastLabno
Alan SimpsonNottingham SouthLabno
Bill OlnerNuneatonLabno
Phil WoolasOldham East and SaddleworthLabno
Mrs Irene AdamsPaisley NorthLab (minister)no
Douglas AlexanderPaisley SouthLabno
Gordon PrenticePendleLabno
Linda GilroyPlymouth, SuttonLabno
Yvette CooperPontefract and CastlefordLab (minister)no
Mr Tony ColmanPutneyLabno
Martin SalterReading WestLabno
Dr Mo MowlamRedcarLab (minister)no
Ms Lorna FitzsimonsRochdaleLabno
Janet AndersonRossendale and DarwenLab (minister)tellno
Kevin BarronRother ValleyLab (minister)no
Mr Lawrie QuinnScarborough and WhitbyLabno
John GroganSelbyLab (minister)no
Mr Richard AllanSheffield, HallamLDem (front bench)no
Mrs Helen JacksonSheffield, HillsboroughLabno
Fiona MactaggartSloughLabno
David HeathSomerton and FromeLDem (front bench)no
Mr Clifford ForsytheSouth AntrimUUPaye
Eddie McGradySouth DownSDLPno
Dr David ClarkSouth ShieldsLab (minister)no
Alan WhiteheadSouthampton, TestLab (minister)no
Dave WattsSt Helens NorthLab (minister)no
Andrew GeorgeSt IvesLDem (front bench)no
Anne McGuireStirlingLabno
Frank CookStockton NorthLabno
Dari TaylorStockton SouthLabno
Chris MullinSunderland SouthLabno
Mrs Jackie BallardTauntonLDemno
Laurence RobertsonTewkesburyCon (front bench)aye
Andrew MacKinlayThurrockLabno
Paul MurphyTorfaenLab (minister)no
Mr John BurnettTorridge and West DevonLDemno
Mr Bernie GrantTottenhamLabno
Matthew TaylorTruro and St AustellLDem (front bench)no
Michael MooreTweeddale, Ettrick and LauderdaleLDem (front bench)no
David ClellandTyne BridgeLab (minister)no
Mr David HinchliffeWakefieldLabno
Dan NorrisWansdykeLabno
Helen JonesWarrington NorthLab (minister)no
Helen SouthworthWarrington SouthLabno
James PlaskittWarwick and LeamingtonLabno
Mike HallWeaver ValeLabno
Mr Paul StinchcombeWellingboroughLabno
Robert SmithWest Aberdeenshire and KincardineLDemno
Mr Colin PickthallWest LancashireLabno
Mr William ThompsonWest TyroneUUPtellaye
Mr Brian CotterWeston-Super-MareLDem (front bench)no
Mr Roger StottWiganLabno
Mr Roger CasaleWimbledonLabno
Ben ChapmanWirral SouthLabno

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