Clause 1 - Registration: provision of signature and date of birth
Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland)
10:45 am
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East, DUP)
There is only one John Murphy or Peter Robinson with the national insurance number that has been legally provided to him. The national insurance number therefore helps to reduce the problems facing the electoral office and presiding officers.
When the question of using national insurance numbers was raised by the Select Committee, the Secretary of State at that time, Mo Mowlam, had only one argument against it, which was that such a move would provide a restriction that was not in existence in other parts of the United Kingdom. However, the Bill includes other measures that are unavailable in other parts of the UK.
I have not heard a persuasive argument against the inclusion of the national insurance number. Obviously, not every citizen has committed it to memory, but it should not be difficult for anyone to provide themselves with it. Used with a signature, it would be of great help in reducing fraudulent claims for postal votes and ballot papers. I trust that the Committee will favourably consider the proposal. It was the only issue that I forgot to raise with the Minister in discussions with him, so I will listen with genuine surprise and expectation to what he has to say. However, as he told me about the Government's overall thought, it is not with tremendous hope that I wait to hear his comments.