Committee begins Public Hearings for its Eleventh Inquiry into the Electoral Commission
The public hearings for the Committee's 11th Inquiry: Review of The Electoral Commission will take place on:
- Tuesday 13 June - 1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London SW1H 9JJ[MS Word 53KB, 2 pages]
- Thursday 15 June - The Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP[MS Word 53KB, 2 pages]
- Wednesday 21 June - The Radisson SAS Hotel, The Gasworks, 3 Cromac Place, Omeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2JB[MS Word 43KB, 2 pages]
- Wednesday 21 June - The Radisson SAS Hotel, The Gasworks, 3 Cromac Place, Omeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2JB[MS Word 44KB, 3 pages]
- Tuesday 27 June - National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF[MS Word 48KB, 3 pages]
- Tuesday 27 June - National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF[MS Word 48KB, 3 pages]
- Thursday 6 July - Jury's Hotel, Mary Ann Street, Cardiff, Cardiff, UK, CF10 2JH[MS Word 58KB, 3 pages]
- Thursday 6 July - Jury's Hotel, Mary Ann Street, Cardiff, Cardiff, UK, CF10 2JH[MS Word 55KB, 3 pages]
- Tuesday 11 July - The Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP[MS Word 54KB, 3 pages]*
- Thursday 13 July - The Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP*
- Tuesday 18 July - 1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London SW1H 9JJ
- Thursday 7 September - The Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP
- Thursday 14 September - The Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP
- Thursday 21 September - The Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP
- Monday 23rd October - The Hilton Belfast, 4 Lanyon Place, Belfast, BT1 3LP[MS Word 55KB, 3 pages]
The Inquiry is looking at key themes critical to public trust in our democratic system through a review of the mandate, governance and accountability of the Electoral Commission. Key issues already raised in written evidence to the Committee include:
- the integrity and application of the current political party funding arrangements, and implications of any changes;
- electoral propriety including voter registration, electoral administration and electoral fraud; and
- the contribution these issues make to voter engagement with the political process
Witnesses have been invited to help the Committee examine the current responsibilities of The Electoral Commission, set up five years ago following the Fifth Report of the Committee in 1998. The Commission is an independent body set up by Parliament to promote integrity, effectiveness and participation in the democratic process. The Inquiry takes place against a background of public concerns about arrangements for postal voting following some high-profile legal cases, safeguards for voter registration, and allegedly circumventory loans to political parties.
* 11th July 2006 - Correction to the running order of witnesses for the Committees Public Hearing on Tuesday 11 July and Thursday 13 July[MS Word 49.5KB, 3 pages]
