The Committees' inquiry examined the principles behind registration and highlighted the problems with the existing electoral registration system and the drivers for change. In the joint report, they set out four options for a way forward:

> To design a new system of registration based around the principle of individuals registering themselves, to be introduced in two years' time

> To accept the principle of individual registration without setting a date for implementation

> To adapt the existing system of household registration by requiring individual signatures on the registration form

> To let the system evolve as it has done.

Whichever option is chosen, the Committees identify a wide range of other methods which should be adopted to increase registration levels, which have been falling significantly. These include data-sharing between those responsible for compiling the registers and a wide range of public and private bodies, educational strategies, changing the closing date for registration prior to an election, electronic forms of registration and establishing a national register. They call for a greater lead from Government on how the agenda may move forward and how the issues identified may be tackled.

Mr Andrew Bennett, Chairman of the ODPM Committee, said:
'In my personal view, in recent years, all the political parties have tried to make it easier for people to vote, in particular encouraging postal voting. The result is that our electoral system has grown like Topsy. Perhaps because electoral fraud was so rare, the system has not been adapted to make fraud difficult. Suddenly, it appears that fraud has become an issue. The Committees have looked at how we could reform the electoral system, moving from household registration to individual registration. This could dramatically reduce the chances of fraud. However, it could significantly reduce the number of people able to vote.

I believe we should move swiftly to individual registration. With vigorous data-swapping between electoral registration officers and utilities, the Post Office, DVLA and others, very few names would be lost from the register.'

Mr Alan Beith, Chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, said:
'On the basis of the evidence we heard I do not believe that a move to individual registration should be undertaken until measures likely to increase registration have been put in place and proved effective. There is no point in making so fundamental a change if the effect would be to reduce the proportion of the eligible population who are registered to vote.'

e-Government National Awards 2004: Winners were announced on 19th January
The e-Government National Awards (www.e-GovernmentAwards.org.uk [1]) recognise and praise the best strategies, achievements, teams and individuals in UK e-Government. The guest of honour at the 2004 Awards dinner was Ian Watmore, head of e-Government at the Cabinet Office e-Government Unit.

Full details on winners can be found at this link. [2]

A gallery of photos of Awards winners and the dinner can be found at this link. [3]

Organiser for the awards was PublicTechnology.net, the leading online news provider for those in UK e-Government and public sector IT, with 29,300+ readers per month. The Awards were supported by the Cabinet Office e-Government Unit [4] and Socitm [5]. Platinum sponsor was Intel [6] and also a sponsor was Jobsgopublic [7].