Press notice No.6 of session 2005-06
27 October 2005
ANNOUNCEMENT OF INQUIRY
Constitutional Affairs Committee to examine the work of The Electoral Commission
The Constitutional Affairs Committee will be taking evidence on Wednesday 2 November from the Chairman and the Chief Executive of The Electoral Commission, the independent body set up to “to foster public confidence and participation by promoting integrity, involvement and effectiveness in the democratic process.”
Commenting on the session, Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Alan Beith MP said:
This session, and a further session with electoral administrators, will be an opportunity to hear views on the proposals in the Electoral Administration Bill and to examine the work of the commission.
Key issues under discussion will include:
» the role and responsibilities of The Electoral Commission
» the relationship between the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Commission
» political donations
» the future of The Electoral Commission
» the scope and content of the Electoral Administration Bill
Details of the evidence sessions are as follows:
Wednesday 2 November, The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
10.00am
Sam Younger, Chairman and Peter Wardle, Chief Executive, The Electoral Commission
Tuesday 15 November, The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
4.15pm
Malcolm Dumper, Policy & External Affairs Director, Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) and David Monks, Chief Executive, Huntingdonshire DC and Chairman of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (SOLACE) Electoral Matters Panel
Notes for editors:
1. Second reading of the Electoral Administration Bill took place on Tuesday 25 October 2005. A copy of the Bill is available on the
Public Bills page of the TSO website
2. The following documents published by The Electoral Commission are also relevant to the evidence sessions: Annual Report 2004-05; Corporate Plan 2005-6 to 2009-10; Voting for change-An electoral law modernisation programme (June 2003); Securing the vote-Report and recommendations (May 2005); Understanding electoral registration-The extent and nature of non-registration in Britain (September 2005). All these documents are available on
The Electorial Commission website
3. Committee Membership is as follows: Rt Hon Alan Beith MP (Chairman), James Brokenshire, MP David Howarth MP, Barbara Keeley MP, Mr Piara S Khabra MP, Jessica Morden MP, Julie Morgan MP, Mr Andrew Tyrie MP, Keith Vaz MP, Dr Alan Whitehead MP, Jeremy Wright MP
4. Transcripts of all the Committee’s public sessions are made available (usually within 5 working days) on the
Reports and Publications page of the Committee’s website