Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 20 Rhagfyr 1956.
Mr Henry Hynd
, Accrington
12:00,
20 Rhagfyr 1956
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to remedy the anomaly under which people reaching 21 years of age in July are still not able to vote in an election until the following October.
Mr Gwilym Lloyd George
, Newcastle upon Tyne North
The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. In 1949 the autumn register, the qualifying date for which was 15th June, was abolished on grounds of economy. In response to strong representations from both sides of the House the Government of the day introduced the present provision to give persons reaching the age of 21 by 15th June the same voting rights as they would have had if the autumn register had not been abolished. When there were two registers annually a person reaching the age of 21 after 15th June had to wait until the spring register came into force on 16th March before he could vote. Now he waits until the register comes into force on 16th February.
Mr Henry Hynd
, Accrington
As those people's names are already on the register, is there any reason why they should not vote when they become 21? Why should they have to wait four more months? Has the right hon. and gallant Gentleman noticed from the result of the Melton By-election that voters are now using their votes more intelligently?
Mr Gwilym Lloyd George
, Newcastle upon Tyne North
I think that the hon. Member is under a misapprehension. Under the old scheme they had to wait for sixteen months before they were entitled to vote.
Mr Henry Hynd
, Accrington
Why should they wait four months?
Mr Gwilym Lloyd George
, Newcastle upon Tyne North
That is what Parliament decided, and there is nothing we can do about it.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
A by-election occurs when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant during the lifetime of a Parliament (i.e. between general elections) because the sitting MP dies, resigns, is elevated to the peerage, or becomes ineligible to sit for some other reason. If a vacancy occurs when the House is in session, the Chief Whip of the Party that formerly held the seat moves a Motion for a new writ. This leads to the by-election taking place. Prior notice does not have to be given in the Order Paper of the House. There is no time limit in which a new writ has to be issued, although by convention it is usually done within three months of a seat becoming vacant. There have been times when seats have remained empty for more than six months before a by-election was called. The sitting party will obviously choose a time when they feel confident of success. Seats are often left vacant towards the end of a Parliament to be filled at the General Election though this is not always the case and by-elections have sometimes occurred just before the dissolution of Parliament. While a vacancy exists a member of the same party in a neighbouring constituency handles constituency matters. When the new Member is elected in the by-election, all outstanding matters are handed back. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M7 at the UK Parliament site.
