Clause 8 - Provision of information to voters
Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Bill
12:45 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
My hon. Friend raises a completely different point.
In response to what the Minister said about the proposed amendments to subsection (5), I simply do not agree. There is not a millimetre of difference between us about the intended outcome. The debate concerns whether the Bill actually says what the Minister thinks it does. We could continue in this way ad nauseam, but to put it to bed concisely it seems to me that the phrase
''the means the Commission think is most likely to secure (in the most cost-effective way) that the information comes to the notice of all persons''
is not the same as the means that the commission thinks is most likely to secure that the information comes in a cost-effective way to the notice of all persons. It is the latter that the Minister is describing when he sets out what he thinks will happen in practice. The Bill simply does not say that. I am clearly not going to be able to persuade him of that in this forum.
Call me paranoid, but I suspect that that might be in no small part due to the fact that the right hon. Gentleman has not come into the Room with an open mind, wishing to consider the arguments. However, I live in hope, bolstered by experience of other Standing Committees, that having raised a point that is robustly rejected by Ministers, they go away—perhaps gaze at a particularly inspiring painting—and come up with a different thought on the issue. I suspect that he may not find the picture on the other wall inspiring enough for his purposes.
I am not going to press the matter to a Division, but I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will think about it, and consider whether he agrees that there is a problem with the clause. I have taken no outside advice, but I will ask counsel for an opinion as to whether the wording does what the Minister thinks, or what I think. Perhaps we can have an informal discussion about that before the Bill reaches Report.
Concerning amendment No. 34 and public spending, I am glad that the Minister does not envisage larger-scale public spending by the Electoral Commission when acting in its default capacity when no organisations have been designated. Without wanting to sound paranoid, however, I would say to the Minister that there would be a considerable incentive for the Government to ensure the maximum possible turnout in a referendum. The Government will have a huge amount of egg all over their face if the turnout is very low. As the Minister conceded, if there is an extremely low turnout in a referendum delivering a yes vote, the Secretary of State will be in very difficult position. The Government will want to do everything in their power to maximise the vote. I would prefer to see some limitation in the Bill on the money that could be spent by the commission if it is put into that default situation. It may not be in the first referendums that are called, but if the Government proceed unwisely beyond the first one or two, they may find that there is less interest.
It being One o'clock, The Chairman adjourned the Committee without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.
Adjourned till this day at half-past Four o'clock.