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Political Parties and Elections Bill

This is not an amendment that we would support. The requirement of delivery of service by hand to the individual is not appropriate in the modern age. Fortunately, there are very few occasions where there are significant legal battles between the parties. It happens that today I am engaged in such a battle between political rivals. I have arranged for solicitors’ letters to be delivered by e-mail, fax and to an office address. I am satisfied that that is a satisfactory way of dealing with proceedings without having to find any named individual in person and deliver anything to them by hand. It is no longer practical in the modern age to assume that you could find an individual and serve a notice by hand. There are other electronic methods, including fax, by which it is possible to serve such notices.