Draft Strategy and Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission: Government Response to the Select Committee Report

This is the government's response, published 20 June 2023.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says the draft Statement is compatible with the Commission's operational independence, while it has amended the draft in response to consultee feedback.

• It has removed references to "core priority functions" and emphasised that the Commissioners and executive leadership remain responsible for the Commission's priority setting and allocation of resources.
• It agreed that "neutrally" could cause confusion and removed the word, and replaced the reference to acting for all parts of the UK "equally" with wording on how electoral law and practice differ across the UK.
• It maintains that giving guidance on how the Commission exercises its functions is appropriate, "particularly in areas where primary legislation is not explicit", though it has amended the guidance to clarify the Commission's responsibility for how it exercises its functions.
• It commits to making parliamentary time available for a debate in each House, but does not agree to apply the same consultation timeframe to future Statements, considering minimum timeframes "overly rigid and inflexible".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error