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Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench) on Thursday, 30 June 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 14 July 2022. It was answered by Lord Harrington of Watford (Conservative) on Wednesday, 13 July 2022 on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Voting Rights: Prisoners

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to allow prisoners to vote in (1) parliamentary, and (2) other elections; what assessment they have made of the case for allowing prisoners to vote in such elections; and whether they plan to publish the results of such an assessment.

Answer

It is the Government's long-established position that when someone commits a crime, which is sufficiently serious to receive a prison sentence, they are deemed to have broken their contract with society to such an extent that they should not have the right to vote until they are ready to be back in the community. We have maintained that position for all elections that fall within the UK Parliament's competence.

This position was clearly set out in the Government's 2019 manifesto, which stated: 'We will maintain the ban on prisoners voting from jail'.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1383
Session
2022-23
Subjects
Prisoners Voting rights
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk