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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

moved Amendment No. 1: Page 2, line 26, leave out from ““2010”” to end of line 28. The noble Lord said: My Lords, in moving Amendment No. 1, I shall speak also to Amendments Nos. 2 to 6. The amendment concerns the annual canvass of the Northern Ireland electorate for the purposes of the electoral register. The Bill proposes a canvass every 10 years. We think that is too long a period and our amendments are designed to reduce the intervals to every five years. We referred to this issue in Grand Committee and I have nothing further to add to what I said there. It is a question of where you draw the line. We think that 10 years is much too long. I beg to move.