(Except clauses Nos. 9 to 18; any new clauses or new schedules relating to part 2 or part 3 of the Bill; any new clauses or new schedules relating to the procedure to be followed at an election on the death of a candidate; and any new clauses or new schedules relating to candidates standing in more than one constituency at an election.)
Electoral Administration Bill
10:30 am
Harriet Harman (Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs; Camberwell and Peckham, Labour)
I beg to move,
That—
(1) during the proceedings on the Electoral Administration Bill, in addition to its first meeting at 10.30 am on Tuesday 15th November, the Standing Committee shall meet at:
(a) 4.00 p.m on Tuesday 15th November,
(b) 9.00 am and 1.00 pm on Thursday 17th November,
(c) 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 22nd November,
(d) 9.00 am and 1.00 p.m on Thursday 24th November;
(2) the Bill be considered in the following order, namely, Clauses 1 to 8, Clauses 19 to 66, Schedules 1 and 2, Clauses 67 to 71, new Clauses, new Schedules, remaining proceedings on the Bill;
(3) proceedings on the Bill shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 4.00 p.m on Thursday 24th November.
I welcome you to the Chair, Mr. O'Hara. Issues of electoral administration are close to all our hearts. I know that barely a waking moment goes by in which you do not think about achieving a complete and accurate register in Knowsley. There are keen volunteers on both sides of the Committee who are well experienced in these matters and who will bring to bear their experience of electoral administration in their constituencies.
On Second Reading, we said—we shall keep true to it—that we in the Department of Constitutional Affairs are simply custodians of this issue for the House; we do not regard it as a totally owned issue. We will be open-minded. If Back Benchers from either side of the Committee table amendments that make sense and support them with strong arguments, we will accept them. We will listen to the argument and make our case.