Clause 19 - Review of polling places
Electoral Administration Bill
4:15 pm
David Cairns (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Scotland Office; Inverclyde, Labour)
I cannot understand why an election should be treated as an emergency. Perhaps that is why we disagree. There is a clear, transparent process. We set out in detail how consultation should take place. Representations can be made by ''any person''; we do not have to rely on the artificial trigger of 30 people complaining about something before it is taken seriously. The results of such reviews have to be published.
Another issue that came up on Second Reading was access for disabled persons. We are allowing representations to be made by anyone who has sufficient interest in the accessibility of polling places in the area to disabled persons, or has particular expertise in relation to access to premises or facilities for disabled persons, including disability groups. The disability group does not have to be in the local authority area or polling district in order to make representations. It could make representations from a central standpoint.
All polling places and stations should be accessible to all voters. However, the service providers, including public authorities such as councils, do not think that the duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which from 1 October 2004 imposed a duty to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of buildings if disabled people would otherwise find it impossible or unreasonably difficult to make use of services, apply to electoral services. That revision of current legislation reinforces the duty of local authorities to consider people with disabilities. The Bill sets it out in clear English.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 19 ordered to stand part of the Bill.