Clause 4 - Electoral Commission
Electoral Administration Bill
11:45 am
Eleanor Laing (Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Scotland; Epping Forest, Conservative)
I take the hon. Gentleman's point, which, as usual, is perfectly reasonable. I appreciate that the clause does not refer specifically to Wales; I was merely taking the opportunity to compliment those who deal with electoral administration in Wales. They had to administer one of the closest results of any recent democratic exercise undertaken in the United Kingdom; namely, the referendum on the Welsh Assembly.
I was about to say that that referendum is a very good example of why it is important that the rights systems are in place, and that they are financed in the right way and use the best modern technology that is available. When a result is so, so close, and it affects many people and the governance of a large part of the United Kingdom—