Committee
Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee 12 February 2026 [Draft]
12 Feb 2026 · S6 · Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
Item of business
Subordinate Legislation
Absent Voting (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 [Draft]
The next item on the agenda is a debate on motion S6M-20589. As members will be aware, only the minister and members can speak during the debate on the motion. I invite the minister to move the motion.Motion moved,That the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee recommends that the Absent Voting (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Order 2026 draft be approved.—Graeme DeyMotion agreed to.
References in this contribution
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
In the same item of business
09:01
The Convener
Lab
The second item on our agenda is consideration of two affirmative Scottish statutory instruments relating to access to the online absent voter application fo...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey)
SNP
Thank you for the invitation to attend the committee today.Since 2023, voters in United Kingdom Parliament elections have been able to apply online for a pos...
The Convener
Lab
I will kick off with a simple question. I hope that we all know the answer to it, but the answer needs to be known. This will in no way affect the election t...
Graeme Dey
SNP
That is correct, and it is good to get that on the record.
The Convener
Lab
Excellent. Thank you.We already have some experience of Scottish voters using OAVA, following the general election last year. Do you have any data or insight...
Iain Hockenhull (Scottish Government)
There have been a few technical issues. I was at a meeting last week with electoral registration officers where they talked about some issues that they faced...
The Convener
Lab
I have a follow-on question. I am happy for you to answer, Iain, if you can. What is the process for a voter to come off a continuing postal vote—this is a d...
Iain Hockenhull
Prior to the divergence that occurred in 2023 following the implementation of the UK’s Elections Act 2022, there was only one process for all absent votes in...
The Convener
Lab
In the future, the process of informing you that you will drop off will work as it always has done. There are examples where it has not worked, but there are...
Iain Hockenhull
It will again be for all elections, so you will not have a reminder one year for UK Parliament elections and another the next year for Scottish Parliament an...
The Convener
Lab
That is great.
Graeme Dey
SNP
You touched on something there, convener. It is my intention, if the Parliament approves the instruments, to write to the Electoral Commission to ask for ass...
The Convener
Lab
I am very grateful for that offer. I do not want to burden our successor committee, but it is important that the draft guidance be shared.That leads on to th...
Graeme Dey
SNP
I will bring in Iain on the detail, but I note that we are not talking about huge numbers of people. The costs to be shared between Scotland and Wales for be...
Iain Hockenhull
We have had an initial discussion with EROs, but it was somewhat of a chicken-and-egg situation, with them asking how much we were offering and us asking how...
The Convener
Lab
The biggest challenge—I hope that even “challenge” is too strong a word—relates to the reach-out to those voters who are coming off the system, of whom there...
Iain Hockenhull
I think so. We will need to have a discussion about that.
The Convener
Lab
That is helpful. Again, I do not wish to burden a future committee that will potentially sit in this room, but, if you see a challenge coming, it would be go...
Graeme Dey
SNP
Do you want to come in on the detail, Iain?
Iain Hockenhull
In a slightly strange way, it will be online for everyone, but that does not affect the voter. If the voter wishes to apply by paper, they can do so as they ...
The Convener
Lab
It is envisaged that a very similar form will be available for people to complete and post in, which will then be uploaded and dealt with electronically. The...
Iain Hockenhull
Yes.
The Convener
Lab
Excellent. Thank you.
Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
SNP
Good morning, minister. In your remarks about the preparation of the guidance and your request that it come back to the committee, you confirmed that that wi...
Graeme Dey
SNP
Do you want to come in, Iain?
Iain Hockenhull
The Electoral Commission is looking at communications. We are discussing the matter with it and with the electoral registration officers. There will also be ...
Graeme Dey
SNP
There is a good point in there about making people aware that this change is coming, but it is also important to understand that the numbers involved are not...
Ruth Maguire
SNP
Are electoral registration officers required to write to inform an elector about a mismatched record only once, or is there a requirement for a follow-up if ...
Iain Hockenhull
I think that it varies depending on the type of clash. Lorraine Walkinshaw is well versed in that.