Written Answers
European Parliament: Electoral Procedure
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will:
In the Government's view, the European Parliament's proposals would apply only to Community nationals resident in the Community. There may be about 300,000 citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies living in other member states of the Community.
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will summarise the criteria that apply to the right of British citizens abroad to vote in British and European Parliament elections; the procedures that enable them to do so; and the approximate number of voters involved.
There are two categories of voters enabled to vote at elections in the United Kingdom when outside the United Kingdom; service voters and absent voters.(
a) Service Voters
Crown servants and employees of the British Council serving outside the United Kingdom, and their spouses if with them, and members of the armed forces and their spouses, may make a service declaration which entitles them to a proxy vote at parliamentary, European Parliament and local government elections in the constituency or electoral area where they would be qualified to vote were it not for the circumstances which entitle them to make a service declaration. The number of people registered as service voters throughout the United Kingdom is about 250,000; this figure includes some members of the armed forces and their wives resident here.
( b) Absent Voters
Electors who arc unlikely to be able to go in person to the polling station by reason of the general nature of their occupation, service or employment, may vote by post or, if they are likely to be outside the United Kingdom on the day of the poll, by proxy at parliamentary and European Parliament elections in the constituency where they are on the electoral register. Figures for absent voters are not held centrally but those outside the United Kingdom at the time of an election are likely to be few in number.
Animal Protection: Committee Of Experts
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recent agreement reached on the
ad hoc Committee of Experts for the Protection of Animals on the draft Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental Purposes clears the way for the Home Secretary to produce plans for the up-dating of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876; and when these are likely to be ready.
Although agreement has now been reached by the ad hoc Committee of Experts on a substantial part of the draft Convention some matters remain to be settled and the complete draft will then have to be adopted by the Committee of Ministers. The progress that has been made will, however, permit the Government to give further study to detailed proposals for giving effect to its stated intention of improving and modernising the Act when parliamentary time permits. The plans for carrying forward this intention will be announced as soon as possible.
Overseas Aid: Helsinki Conference
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there was a British representative at the recent meeting at Helsinki of the Development Committee of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; what decisions were reached on aid to the poorest nations in view of the decision of the USA to cut its contribution to the International Development Association; and, if Britain was represented, what was its representative's attitude to this consideration.
Her Majesty's Government were represented at the meeting. Our representative reaffirmed strong United Kingdom support for the International Development Association, whose level of resources in the current financial year had been improved by the recent action of the United Kingdom and some other donors in allowing their second (current) contributions to the Sixth Replenishment to be released in full. The United States have not cut their contribu- tion but are likely to extend its phasing beyond the three-year period originally envisaged. The consequences of this have still to be fully assessed but the Development Committee was informed of Her Majesty's Government's readiness to join with others in tackling the problem in a constructive way.House adjourned at a quarter before eight o'clock.