Chamber and committees

Thank you very much for that.

I thank the witnesses for being here and for their written submissions. I will ask about election pilots. There is provision in the bill to amend the powers on pilots, which I think the majority of our witnesses have agreed is a good thing.

We also heard from the Electoral Reform Society, in our previous evidence session, that a trick has been missed when it comes to voter registration. Will you expand on whether that should, indeed, be piloted, and, if so, the approach that should be taken?

I completely see where you are coming from, and using life moments is an ideal way to go about doing that.

The other challenge that we have is in improving turnout at elections, which is particularly challenging among some groups in some areas. Is there an approach that Scotland should be considering to improve turnout at elections?

Good morning, panel. I wish to move on to the subject of free mail-outs. As you know, the issue of whether to provide free mail-outs to local government candidates was consulted on, and there are free mail-outs for Scottish parliamentary elections. Do you think that that should be included in the bill? Would that support diversity in candidacy?

I see you nodding your head, Hannah, so I will go to you first.

That is really important.

I have one last question. You have done research on funding and grant aspects. How can any funding that is available for democratic engagement be best—or better—used?

That is perfect. Thank you.

Thank you very much for that.

Is it clear in the bill that an election pilot could include a pilot on electoral registration, or should that be made unambiguous?

Good morning, and thank you for coming in.

I will move on to election pilots, if you do not mind. Are the requirements in the legislation on consultation and reporting for those okay?

Obviously, we will keep a close eye on the funding and how it is spent in the future.

You said that the plan is up to 2026. We are looking for elimination of HIV by 2030. How will you monitor the plan’s progress and effectiveness in the short term?