To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the number of absent voting papers issued in (a) each parliamentary constituency and (b) in Northern Ireland for the (i) 1992 and (ii) 1997 elections, and the percentage difference between 1992 and 1997 for each constituency; and if she will make a statement. [7722]

The information is as follows:

1992 and 1997 Northern Ireland general election: absent voting
Parliamentary constituency	Absent voting		Percentage difference
	1992	1997
North Down	1,048	1,052	0.40
Strangford	938	1,271	35.50
South Down	5,359	3,504	34.61
Lagan Valley	1,104	1,443	30.71
Upper Bann	1,854	1,759	-5.12
Newry and Armagh	3,580	3,960	10.61
Fermanagh and South
Tyrone	5,847	5,996	2.55
Mid-Ulster	3,638	5,047	38.73
Foyle	1,531	1,460	-4.64
East Londonderry	2,409	2,128	-11.66
North Antrim	1,032	1,467	42.15
East Antrim	1,002	793	-20.86
South Antrim	962	884	-8.11
Belfast north	615	847	37.72
Belfast east	638	912	42.93
Belfast south	856	886	3.50
Belfast west	757	1,104	45.84
West Tyrone	—	4,372	—
Totals	33,170	38,885	17.23

These figures show a significant rise in the numbers of absent votes in Northern Ireland over the last two general elections. Due to boundary changes which increased the number of Northern Ireland constituencies by one in 1995, there is no strict comparison between the two elections.However, in just under a third of Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies the number of absent votes issued was greater in 1992 than at the 1997 general election. In those constituencies which did see an increase in the absent votes issued, in a quarter of these cases the percentage increase was less than 5 per cent. It is the case that in just under half of the 17 constituencies there has been an increase of more than 30 per cent. in the numbers of absent votes issued.The Government have made it clear that they are concerned at the increase in the numbers of absent votes issued at the last election, and that will study with interest the results of the study begun by the chief electoral officers into all absent vote applications in Northern Ireland for the last three elections.