1. The purpose of this report is to place in the public domain the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General for 2005-06 under paragraph 16(1) of Schedule 1 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) on his examination into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the Commission has used its resources. The Committee has a statutory obligation[1] to have regard to the most recent such report when considering the Electoral Commission's proposed Estimates and Corporate Plan. The report, which was considered by us on 27 June 2007, is reproduced in the Appendix.

2. The report focuses on the important issue of electoral registration and makes eight recommendations to the Electoral Commission, on the use of its new powers under the Electoral Administration Act 2006 to request information from Electoral Registration Officers; on improving the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers; and on performance measurement.

3. We are grateful to the Comptroller and Auditor General for his thorough report. We are seeking the response of the Electoral Commission to the recommendations he has made.