Written questions by Holmes.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has provided on the resignation of election agents without the consent of the candidate after the close of nomination.

The Commission’s guidance for candidates and agents outlines that once an agent has accepted their appointment, they cannot resign and must fulfil the duties required of them unless the candidate revokes their appointment.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how long the Electoral Commission will hold data from proposed returns under the Representation of the People Bill; and whether that data will be (a) published online and (b) archived.

The Representation of the People Bill proposes extending the Electoral Commission’s remit to include enforcement of the candidate spending regime. The Bill would require candidates to submit spending returns to the Commission and to Returning Officers.Returning Officers will continue to make spending returns available for a two-year period. The Commission will publish spending returns through its Political Finance Online system, beyond the two-year retention period. This will provide important transparency for voters.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued to local authorities on the use of (a) churches, (b) synagogues and (c) mosques as polling stations.

Returning Officers are responsible for deciding where polling stations should be situated. The Commission provides guidance for Returning Officers on booking suitable polling stations. Returning Officers are often faced with limited options in selecting polling stations. The Commission’s guidance advises them to select a suitable venue based on size and accessibility.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued on the language of imprints.

There are no requirements in law on the language of imprints. The Electoral Commission’s guidance on print and digital imprints sets out the information that must be included in an imprint. Imprints must be legible or in the case of audio material, audible, no matter what device is used to access the information.The purpose of an imprint is to ensure that voters know who is responsible for campaign material. Where material is published to target voters whose first language is not English, an imprint in the same language would be one way of ensuring that this is transparent to those voters.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has provided on the withdrawal of certificates authorising party political descriptions before the close of nominations.

The Commission provides guidance for candidates and agents on the certificate of authorisation and the nominations process. There is currently no provision to allow for the withdrawal of certificates of authorisation once received by the Returning Officer.The Representation of the People Bill proposes a change to enable parties to withdraw support from a candidate up to 48 hours before the end of the nominations period, where nomination papers have already been submitted.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued on declaring corporate sponsorship to Members’ Associations.

The Electoral Commission’s guidance sets out that sponsorship of events, publications, or research must be treated as a donation and the same permissibility checks apply. A members’ association must report donations (including sponsorship) when the amount from one source exceeds £11,180.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has provided on whether named promoters on (a) hard copies and (b) digital imprints can be unincorporated associations.

The Electoral Commission’s guidance on print and digital imprints states that an unincorporated association, such as a political party, may be the promoter of campaign material. Some parties choose to have a named individual as the promoter, publishing the material on behalf of a party whose details are also on the imprint. Other parties choose to list only the party on the imprint. Both approaches provide transparency for voters.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued to EROs on accepting scanned copies of postal vote application forms.

For elections taking place in England, or at a UK Parliamentary general election, the Electoral Commission’s guidance for Electoral Registration Officers sets out the number of ways voters can apply for a postal vote. Postal vote application forms are not prescribed, and a paper postal vote application can be in any format, including an email with a scanned attachment.Postal vote applications must contain all the required information, and the applicant’s signature and date of birth must be presented in the prescribed format, for the voter’s identity to be verified and application confirmed.The Commission publishes similar guidance for elections in Scotland and in Wales.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has issued updated guidance following the passage of the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.

I refer the Hon. Gentleman to the answer provided to Question 116490 which explains that the Commission’s guidance was updated to reflect the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.