Committee (5th Day)

Part of Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill – in the House of Lords at 4:45 pm on 15 December 2010.

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Photo of Lord Howarth of Newport Lord Howarth of Newport Labour 4:45, 15 December 2010

As my noble and learned friend Lord Falconer and the noble Lord, Lord Lamont, have rather compellingly pointed out to the Committee, there are real and practical problems with the existing rules. Does the noble Lord consider it to be the responsibility of the Government to iron out these difficulties and to put into place a more satisfactory set of arrangements, or is he saying that it is for the Electoral Commission to modify the rules as it thinks best? If the latter, is he satisfied that the Electoral Commission has the freedom and scope actually to do that?