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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I am grateful to the Minister for his clear and appropriate response, although I cannot agree that our proposal would equate substantially to an annual canvass. While the electoral officer is trying to contact all the utility companies and to cross-reference and check all the information, I respectfully submit that it would be just as easy, under the new clause, to get a clear and accurate view of who is on the register, for the avoidance of fraud and to deal with important issues on which everyone in the Chamber agrees. The new clause is not untoward in terms of cost or effort in relation to the rewards that it would bring. We shall withdraw it, but we shall resubmit it on Report—