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Representation of the People (Combination of Polls) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

rose to move, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Representation of the People (Combination of Polls) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2006. First Report from the Statutory Instruments Committee. The noble Lord said: These regulations make a number of minor technical but necessary changes to the Representation of the People (Combination of Polls) (England and Wales) Regulations 2004—the 2004 regulations. This is as a result of the changes introduced by the Electoral Administration Act 2006. When approved, these regulations will provide for the effective combination of a parliamentary election with another election or referendum. These regulations revoke the provisions from the 2004 regulations that applied specifically to combined elections in June 2004 as they are no longer needed. They also revoke the prescribed form H from the 2004 regulations as a new form H—the postal voting statement to be used when there is joint issue and receipt of postal ballots—which has now been prescribed in the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, as amended by the Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2006. They provides for three further functions to be combined when there is joint issue and receipt of postal ballots, as a result of the changes introduced by the Electoral Administration Act 2006. The returning officer in charge of the combined functions will also have responsibility for the creation of a corresponding number list prescribed underRule 19A of the parliamentary elections rules; the creation of a marked postal voters list and proxy postal voters list under Rule 31A; and verification of personal identifiers on postal voting statements under Rule 45(1B)(d). It makes a number of modifications to the 2004 regulations to reflect changes made tothe parliamentary elections rules by the Electoral Administration Act. It amends the form of directions for guidance of voters at combined polls to provide improved clarity for voters; removes the specific reference to European parliamentary elections from the form of declaration to be made by the companion of a voter with disabilities; and replaces the reference to ““incapacity”” with a reference to ““disability”” to reflect the change of terminology introduced by the Electoral Administration Act 2006. The Government consulted the Electoral Commission on the draft of these regulations. The commission’s detailed response is available on its website. The Government have taken on board the commission’s comments in developing the draft. I beg to move. Moved, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Representation of the People (Combination of Polls) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2006. First Report from the Statutory Instruments Committee.—(Lord Evans of Temple Guiting.)