Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 [draft] were laid before the Scottish Parliament on 3 March 2020 and referred to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee (SPPA Committee).
The Regulations were made in exercise of the powers in sections 9D(3) and (4), sections 53(1) and (3) and paragraphs 1(2), 1A, 1B, 3ZA, 3C, 10(1) and 13(1ZB) of schedule 2 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 and section 15 of the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015.
The draft Regulations amend the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (the 2001 Regulations) in order to reform and modernise the annual canvass. The purpose of the annual canvass is to gather information on potential additions, deletions and changes to the electoral register. It is currently a paper-based exercise which the Policy Note describes as expensive and complex to deliver.
The Regulations give electoral administrators greater discretion to target their resources at properties where additions or deletions to the register are more likely to be required. The reforms will establish a mandatory national data matching step which will allow Electoral Registration Officers to focus on households which are most likely to have experienced changes in composition
The objective of the reforms is also to reduce the administrative burden on Electoral Registration Officers and reduce the overall cost of the annual canvass process.
The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the draft regulations on 10 March 2020 and indicated in its 18th Report 2020 that it did not need to draw the Parliament's attention to the instrument.
At the SPPA Committee’s ninth meeting on 19 March 2020, it took evidence on the Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 [draft] from—
Graeme Dey, Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans;
Sadif Ashraf, Deputy Director, Maria McCann, Head of Elections Team, and Kenneth Pentland, Senior Policy Officer, Scottish Government.
Motion S5M-21239 was lodged by Graeme Dey, Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans, and supported by Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations.
Following the evidence session, Graeme Dey moved Motion S5M-21239 that the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee recommends that the Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 [draft] be approved.
The motion was agreed to without division.
The evidence taken and the debate can be found in the Official Report for the SPPA Committee meeting of 19 March 2020.
The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee recommends that the Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) Amendment (Scotland) Order 2020 [draft] be approved.
9th Meeting 2020 (Session 5), Thursday 19 March 2020
Subordinate legislation: The Committee took evidence on the Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 [draft] from—
Graeme Dey, Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans;
Sadif Ashraf, Deputy Director, Solicitors: Local Government and Economy Division, Maria McCann, Head of Elections Team, and Kenneth Pentland, Senior Policy Officer, Elections Team, Scottish Government.
Subordinate legislation: Graeme Dey moved—S5M-21239—That the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee recommends that Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 [draft] be approved.
The motion was agreed to.