Clause 6 - Combination of polls
Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Bill
5:00 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
That is fine in theory, but the hon. Gentleman knows very well that combining any ballot with, for example, a general election ballot will ensure that turnout is significantly higher. That could be misrepresented to indicate a high level of interest in a particular question. However, it would represent not a high level of interest, but simply the effect of human nature. If one has been presented with two ballot papers and has decided to fill one of them in, one will probably fill them both in; I should not have thought that that was a very contentious proposition.