Clause 2 - Use of CORE information
Electoral Administration Bill
11:00 am
Eleanor Laing (Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Scotland; Epping Forest, Conservative)
The Minister has already outlined the intention behind clause 2. The amendments are probing. Amendment No. 40 relates to clause 2(6), which states:
''These are the circumstances . . . the same person acts as proxy for more than two electors''.
The amendment suggests adding the words ''in an individual constituency'' at the end. Perhaps the Minister can explain the matter further, because there is a difference between a person acting as a proxy for two electors in one constituency and for more than two electors in several constituencies. If the amendment is not accepted, there could be a loophole in the legislation, and the amendment is intended to close that loophole before it even opens. Acting as a proxy is a serious matter, because if someone who worked for or represented a political party was allowed to be proxy for large numbers of people in different constituencies, which is quite possible, they would hold an awful lot of power over voting.