Revised draft Electoral Commission Strategy and Policy Statement
Subject to parliamentary approval, the statement will contain guidance that the Electoral Commission must have regard to in discharging its functions.
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To facilitate scrutiny by the UK Parliament of the Electoral Commission鈥檚 work, whilst respecting the Commission鈥檚 operational independence, sections 4A and 4B of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (鈥楶PERA鈥�) provided for a power for the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to designate a Strategy and Policy Statement (鈥楽tatement鈥�) for the Commission.
The draft Statement sets out the government鈥檚 strategic and policy priorities and the roles and responsibilities of the Commission in enabling the government to meet those priorities, such as the government鈥檚 determination to tackle issues such as voter fraud, to improve accessibility of elections and to improve participation. The draft Statement also sets out guidance relating to particular matters in respect of which the Commission has functions.
The Act requires, among other things, the Secretary of State to consider the views of the Electoral Commission, the Speaker鈥檚 Committee and the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee on a draft Statement, making any changes the Secretary of State deems necessary, before laying a draft Statement and a report on the government鈥檚 response to the consultation before Parliament for representations to be made.
On 22 August 2022, the government published a draft Statement on 188体育 and wrote to the statutory consultees as well as members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and other relevant stakeholders to inform them about the start of the statutory consultation. The statutory consultation closed on 20 December 2022.
On 8 June 2023, the government laid before Parliament a document containing the revised draft Strategy and Policy Statement. The document includes the explanation of the Secretary of State鈥檚 proposals, those proposals set out in the form of a draft Strategy and Policy Statement and the report that sets out the government鈥檚 response to the consultation.
This document has been laid before both Houses for a sixty-day period within which members of both Houses may make representations in relation to the document. The Secretary of State must consider these representations, before preparing the draft Statement for laying for Parliamentary approval. The sixty-day period excludes any period when Parliament is dissolved or prorogued, or when both Houses are not sitting for more than four days.鈥疘t will end on 14 September 2023. The document has also been deposited in the libraries of both Houses.