Committee on prisoner voting to question Justice Secretary Chris Grayling
The Joint Committee on the draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill will tomorrow take evidence from Chris Grayling MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Committee will question Mr Grayling and Ministry of Justice official Mark Sweeney on the Government's position on prisoner voting and whether it will abide by the decision of the European Court of Human Rights on the issue. They will also ask the Lord Chancellor whether he agrees with the Attorney General's evidence to the Committee that it is the longstanding policy of the UK to abide by its international legal obligations.
The session will also cover the draft Bill's alternative options to allow prisoners serving less than six months, or four years, to vote and whether provisions of this type would satisfy the European Court that they were not ‘blanket bans'.
The session will also cover the risk of prisoners seeking and being awarded financial compensation if they continue to be denied the right to vote, and whether the Government would refuse to pay this compensation.
The evidence session will start at 9:40am on Wednesday 20 November in Committee Room 8 of the House of Commons.
The session will be webcast at www.parliamentlive.tv and is also open to the public. Journalists wishing to attend should go to Parliament's Cromwell Green Entrance and should allow time for security screening.
