Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Elections Act 2022: Electoral Commission

Thursday 8 September 2022 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Speaker's Committee has no plans to assess the potential effect of the Elections Act 2022 on the impartiality of the Electoral Commission.
  • The Speaker's Committee states that changes to the Elections Act will be a matter for the House.
  • The Electoral Commission believes that the introduction of a strategy and policy statement would be inconsistent with its role as an independent body.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Martyn Day SNP
Democracy & Elections
Context

The Elections Act 2022 has raised concerns about the potential impact on the impartiality of the Electoral Commission.

Question

If the Committee will make an assessment of the potential effect of the Elections Act 2022 on the impartiality of the Electoral Commission.

Answer from Chris Matheson

The Speaker's Committee has no plans to make an assessment of the potential effect of the Elections Act on the impartiality of the Electoral Commission. The commission itself has raised concerns about the potential challenge to its impartiality from the introduction of a strategy and policy statement by which the Government can guide its work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No assessment plans mentioned, only reiterating the Committee's stance without committing to an evaluation

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Q2 Allan Dorans
Democracy & Elections
Context

The previous Prime Minister and Government raised concerns about the Electoral Commission's impartiality, leading to calls for its protection.

Question

Does the representative of the Speaker's Committee agree that the new Prime Minister should commit to protecting the independence of the Electoral Commission and should remove the specific aspects of Government overreach in the Elections Act?

Answer from Chris Matheson

As I said in my previous answer, the Speaker's Committee has made no assessment on this particular matter. Any changes to the Elections Act will be a matter for the House.

Not addressed: The questioner's specific ask was not addressed; instead, he redirected responsibility to the House of Commons

How: Redirecting Responsibility

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Q3 Owen Thompson SNP
Democracy & Elections Standards & Ethics
Context

The questioner raises multiple issues, including the removal of human rights protections and changes to the Electoral Commission's powers.

Question

Does the representative of the Speaker's Committee agree with board members that the Elections Act seriously undermines the independence of the Electoral Commission?

Answer from Chris Matheson

Let me repeat the statement that the Electoral Commission itself has issued: it believes that the introduction of a strategy and policy statement would be inconsistent with the role of an independent Electoral Commission. We are currently engaged in consultation on the Government's draft strategy and policy statement.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to agreeing or disagreeing but repeated the commission's concerns without taking a position

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Q4 Martyn Day SNP
Parliamentary Procedure
Context

The questioner suggests that the committee's composition is crucial to maintaining the Electoral Commission's independence.

Question

Does the hon. Member agree that one way of helping to defend that independence would be to ensure that in future the Speaker's Committee never has a Government majority?

Answer from Chris Matheson

The hon. Gentleman himself has raised it with you, Mr Speaker, and I believe that the composition of the Committee is a matter for you. Its composition changed recently because of the reallocation of responsibilities from one Government Department to another.

Not addressed: Questioner's specific ask not addressed; instead shifted focus to committee composition changes

How: Redirecting Responsibility

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