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Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

My Lords, my fear that my ““ZZZ”” amendment might have induced torpor in the Minister was clearly quite misplaced; his response was more triple X than triple Z. Nevertheless, it was welcome in its passion, a passion that I think we all share on this issue. I return to the point made with force by the noble Lord, Lord Lester, that we all ought to be able to share in the ends—to enhance registration and improve the effectiveness and completeness of the register—even though we may disagree about the means. I am seeking, and I am grateful to all noble Lords who have contributed to this debate, to find some consensus on the means by which we may proceed, to ensure that the register is complete and that it is effective for the purposes that it has to fulfil if the reforms proposed in the legislation are to achieve their ends, which are to enhance our democracy. I have listened carefully to what the Minister has said. I welcome the fact that he is focused very much on practical action. That is necessary and will make a difference. I welcome the fact that he has said that his door is open; I take that as an invitation to me to see him, together with representatives of Operation Black Vote, which, as Members on all sides of the House know, is an entirely non-partisan body that has been consulted widely by Government, in the past and currently, on these issues. I thank him for that and will take him up on it before we complete our consideration of the Bill, so that he might seek a way of incorporating the concerns that have been raised in the course of this debate into the delivery of the reforms that the Bill is meant to bring about. There is a way forward that the intervention of the noble Lord, Lord Lester, has suggested to me. It embraces the points that have been made by the Minister and puts to bed completely the suggestion that what lies behind this amendment is a desire in some way to stymie the Bill. That is not what lies behind it. It would be possible to envisage wording in the Bill that required the Secretary of State, the Boundary Commission and the Electoral Commission—all of which have functions to perform in the course laid down by the Bill—to take into account, in performing their functions, such guidelines and advice on electoral registration as were issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. That body is accountable to Parliament and was set up, as the noble Lord, Lord Lester, has indicated, by Parliament, with specific duties and responsibilities in this area. It is not unreasonable, therefore, to require the Secretary of State, the Boundary Commission and the Electoral Commission, in exercising their functions under the Bill, to take into account guidance delivered by the equalities commission. I suggest that on the Floor of the House at this stage as an indication to the Minister and those who advise him that, on the basis of what I have heard from him today and the helpful contributions from all sides of the House, it would be my intention in seeking a meeting with him to urge that course of action on him. He might then bring back to the House on Report just such a requirement on the Secretary of State, the Boundary Commission and the Electoral Commission. That would meet the concerns on all sides of this House about the shared ends, without in any way delaying this legislation and the exercise of those bodies’ powers and functions in delivering the reform on which the Minister is set. I very much welcome his nodding in assent. That is the course that I intend to embark on. Having heard the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 58ZZZD withdrawn. Amendment 58ZZZE Moved by