UK GOVERNMENT MISSES 6-MONTH DEADLINE FOR SCOTTISH ELECTIONS

Embargoed:0001 Friday 5th November 2010



Attn: NEWS DESKS


POLITICAL CORRESPONDENTS


SCOTTISH SECRETARY QUIZZED ON FAILURE TO HIT DEADLINE


 With just six months until the Scottish Parliament election on 5 May 2011,SNP MP Angus MacNeil has today written to the Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore, expressing concern that the Government has failed to meet one of the key recommendations of the Gould report into the 2007 Scottish elections.



Professor Ron Gould recommended that no changes to electoral law be made less than six months before an election and that elections to different tiers of government take place on different days. Despite this, both the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill and the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2010 have yet to be finalised.



Mr Gould was highly critical of the problems that arose because of the passing of 'unduly delayed' electoral legislation. The Gould report recommended that electoral legislation should not be applied to any election held within six months of the new provision coming into force.


The two bits of legislation covering the polls on 5 May 2011 fall foul of that recommendation from today.


The Electoral Commission has previously expressed concern over the problems caused by the late passage of primary and secondary electoral legislation, and agreed that a six month 'cut off' provision should be introduced as the Gould report recommends.


Commenting, Mr MacNeil said:


"Not only are we to have two elections in one day, but electoral administrators are again to be left with the impossible task of implementing new legislation in an impossible timescale. The coalition government is making a mockery of the Gould report.


"Much of the confusion around the 2007 poll stemmed from poor decisions made in the Scotland Office. Professor Gould compiled his report to ensure such mistakes were not made again. However, the Scottish Secretary seems hell bent on delivering a Lib Dem vanity project regardless of the impact on democracy in Scotland.


"The governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were united against the plan of combining the polls on 5 May 2011, but the Lib Dem /Tory Coalition carried on regardless. This is a government that is just not listening.


"The Scotland Office has roundly ignored the recommendation to have elections to different tiers of government on different days and they have totally disregarded the call to leave electoral legislation alone six months in advance of the poll. This is a recipe for disaster."

ENDS



Notes:



1) The text of Mr MacNeil's letter can be found below:



Dear Michael


You will be aware that the Scottish Parliament elections will take place six months from today. Noting this, I write to you to express my concern that the Government has failed to finalise the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2010 within 6 months of the poll.



By doing so, the Scotland Office and the UK Government are going against the independent advice issued by Professor Ron Gould in his 2007 report into the Holyrood elections.


In his review, Professor Gould expressed concern that the late passage of legislation affecting elections created confusion and called for a six month cut off for new legislation before an election. This is a concern shared by the Electoral Commission. We are now at that stage however the changes the UK Government are proposing are still not in place.


I am sure you will be as keen as I am to ensure the successful staging of election for the upcoming Holyrood poll, particularly after the difficulties encountered in 2007. I am deeply concerned that this late legislation could have an adverse affect on the election. Can you confirm this is still your intention to proceed and, if so, will you raise the concerns expressed by Prof Gould and the Electoral Commission at the next meeting of Cabinet?



Yours sincerely,



Angus MacNeil MP


2) The Gould report recommendations can be found here:


http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/electoral_commission_pdf_file/0011/13223/Scottish-Election-Report-A-Final-For-Web.pdf


3) The Electoral Commission response to the Gould report is here:


http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/56095/Final-EC-Response-To-Gould-Report-20071127.pdf