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Proceeding contribution from Baroness Ashton of Upholland (Labour) in the House of Lords on Thursday, 23 March 2006. It occurred during Debate on bill and Committee proceeding on Electoral Administration Bill.

Electoral Administration Bill

My understanding of statutory guidance and ““having regard to””—this is based on my education days, because we had a lot of it—was that, if challenged, you would have to demonstrate not only that you had read it, but why you had not taken it forward. I think it applies here because one would be setting out in the guidance things that might be done, some of which would not be applicable to a particular area. If you have complied, it is much more difficult to allow people the flexibility to say, ““In my area, with the particular population, I need to have regard to these issues and not to others””. It probably has more teeth than the noble Lord suggests.

Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
680 c227-8GC 
Session
2005-06
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords Grand Committee
Subjects
Access Disability Data protection Codes of practice Constituencies Candidates Administration Absent voting Costs Design Campaigns Fraud Finance Elections Electorate Eligibility Donors Expenditure Information Documents Electoral Commission Electoral register Languages Electoral systems Prisoners Political parties Referendums Loans Polling stations Standards Voting behaviour Voting rights Returning officers Timetables Ballot papers
Legislation
Electoral Administration Bill 2005-06
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk