Written questions by Mundell.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what discussions he has had with the Royal Mail's on its ability to deliver outgoing and returned postal votes.

The Electoral Commission regularly engages with Royal Mail to consider the logistics and operational pressures of postal vote delivery, particularly in the run up to elections. This engagement informs the support the Commission provides to Returning Officers, who are responsible for issuing postal votes, and Royal Mail, who are responsible for delivery.The Commission provides guidance to electoral administrators on how to plan and manage postal votes. The guidance recommends Returning Officers liaise early and regularly with their Royal Mail contact about postal vote pack delivery and returns.The Commission has recommended the postal vote system should be reformed to improve the service for voters and strengthen resilience. Key areas for improvement include the information given to postal voters, considering whether the current deadline to return a postal vote should be extended and more flexibility for reissuing postal votes.The Commission responded to Ofcom's consultation on the universal post service in 2025 highlighting the implications of postal service reforms for the management and funding of UK elections. The Commission's view is that reform proposals must ensure that electoral processes can continue to depend on an agile, flexible and reliable universal postal service.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Speaker's Committee has had discussions with the Electoral Commission on the capacity of Dumfries and Galloway Council to (a) conduct the Scottish Parliament constituency counts for the (i) Dumfriesshire and Galloway and (ii) West Dumfries constituencies and (b) administer the South of Scotland regional count at the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections.

The Electoral Commission is supporting all local authorities that are holding elections next May, including Dumfries and Galloway Council.To address challenges administering counts, and following consultation with Returning Officers (ROs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and the Electoral Commission, the Convener of the Electoral Management Board (EMB) for Scotland recently directed electoral administrators to count votes for the Scottish Parliament elections for the day after the polls, rather than overnight.Election staff from Dumfries and Galloway Council were among those who recently attended a joint event with EMB and Commission aimed at supporting EROs and ROs preparing for elections.