To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to despatch and return postal ballot papers to and from military personnel in Afghanistan for the forthcoming general election. [HL1469]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate the inclusion on the electoral register of all military personnel in theatre or due to be deployed there. [HL1470]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance will be given to election candidates to circulate election literature to military personnel overseas. [HL1472]

For Afghanistan the Government are exploring the possibility, subject to operational priorities, of working with electoral administrators to expedite the printing, delivery and return of ballot papers. This scheme will work within the existing electoral timetable and legislative framework, due to the time saving made by using the regular military supply flights to Afghanistan. Operational priorities must prevail at all times; success cannot be guaranteed. We will offer proxy voting application forms for personnel for whom operational demands would make the completion and return of postal votes difficult.

In order to facilitate the inclusion on the electoral register of personnel in theatre, the Electoral Commission is producing registration forms and accompanying guidance which will be circulated to personnel in theatre and due to deploy. We plan to make forms available in Afghanistan and to those going there and use the MoD intranet to support this work, by also making them available electronically to personnel.

In terms of election literature, under Section 91 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, at general elections any candidate is entitled to send, free of charge for delivery, either to each elector, or to each address in the constituency, one piece of election material. At present, this provision only applies to communications that are sent to addresses within the UK. Any change to these provisions would require amendment to primary legislation. There will be many candidates contesting 650 constituencies at the next general election. The delivery of their electoral material may not take place until the election is called and the candidates known. Conveying this volume of printed material in such a short timescale would place a significant burden on the transport systems from the UK to those personnel serving overseas. A better way for political parties to communicate with service personnel stationed overseas might be via the internet. There is good internet access at bases in Afghanistan and in other overseas locations. Many candidates and parties have websites, and service personnel are able to access information in this way.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of the 2009 service voter registration day in including all new military recruits on the electoral register. [HL1471]

Defence Analytical Services and Advice undertakes an annual survey on behalf of Ministry of Defence to determine electoral registration levels and aid awareness of the need to register among members of the Armed Forces. Evaluation of the 2009 survey is not yet complete. A copy of the report will be placed in the Library of the House when it becomes available.