Westminster Hall   Thursday 23 March 2006

Opening speech

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Bridget Prentice) : I am pleased to be opening today's debate. The debate deals with the participation of young people in democracy—an issue that is incredibly important, as well as pertinent, for us all. Young people are an influential group in society because they are the future of our country and our democracy. It is therefore vital that we capture their ideas, energy and enthusiasm in respect of democratic issues. That means involving them as early as possible in discussions about what politics and democracy mean to them.  

This week, the Government and other political parties have come under criticism over party funding. We are now legislating to make it compulsory for all political parties to disclose all the loans that they receive. We acknowledge that what is needed is a more transparent process, which is more in the spirit of fair democracy. A healthy representative democracy is the key to a healthy Government.  

People of all ages and backgrounds should have the opportunity to debate issues that matter to them. Young people often have different views from other groups in society. It is therefore important to find a forum in which they can voice their views and those in power can listen to them. If we do not listen and respond appropriately now, there is a risk that young people will not connect with democracy now or in future.  

The Electoral Commission's third audit of political engagement showed that young people have significantly lower levels of political knowledge than the rest of the population and a lower propensity to vote. The Department will be considering the report and its findings and will continue to explore the best ways to address those issues.  

What, then, do we mean by the participation of young people in democracy? We can measure participation by looking at how many young people turn out to vote in elections, and the figures are pretty stark. In the 2005 general election, only 37 per cent. of 18 to 24-year-olds voted, and the figure was only marginally better in 2001, at 39 per cent. That compares quite dramatically with 1997, when 68 per cent. of 18 to 24-year-olds voted.  

We need to address the startling decline in engagement and seek ways of re-engaging young people in the political process. We need to find the reasons for that decline. There are big and growing inequalities in our democracy. Evidence suggests that the young, the poor and black and other ethnic minority groups are far less likely than older, wealthier, white people to be on the electoral register, so are unable to vote. Those who fall into more than one of those categories are obviously particularly likely to be excluded from our democratic process. That is a serious problem, which must be addressed because it could undermine the legitimacy of our democracy and pose a threat to social cohesion and social inclusion.  

In its report "Understanding electoral registration", the Electoral Commission has estimated that 16 per cent. of 18 to 24-year-olds are not on the electoral register, compared with just 2 per cent. of over-55s. It also found that 37 per cent. of black Africans are not registered to vote, compared with just 6 per cent. of white Britons. The evidence indicates that young people are disengaged and/or apathetic, but that is not a fair reflection. Young people are not disengaged and/or apathetic, and my experience as a constituency MP shows that when an issue matters to them, those who have the opportunity to make a difference get involved and want their voices heard.  

In my own borough, the local authority has been doing fantastic, innovative work with young people to engage them in the democratic process. Ours is the only borough that is doing that, and once I have told hon. Members about some of the things that are going on, I hope that they will take them back to their areas and persuade their local authorities to do something similar.  

Last October, for example, Lewisham saw the election of its second young mayor. The election is a way for young people in the borough to have a real say in its future and to make a real difference. Unfortunately, the young mayor could not be in Parliament today, because he also has to attend school from time to time. We had 33 candidates at the election, which is a healthy indication of our young people's democratic engagement and their healthy appetite for involvement. Polling stations were set up in every school in the borough to allow students to elect their second young mayor. Throughout the day, 11 to 17-year-olds were offered registration forms to complete and return. Wilf Petherbridge from Forest Hill school won the election and was declared the young mayor after a hard-fought campaign. He will be in office for a year and has been given a budget of £25,000 to spend on issues that really matter to young people in Lewisham. Last year, in addition to the money given by the local authority, the borough's first young major raised an equivalent amount to set up a music studio for young people in the borough.

 It will perhaps be of even more interest to hon. Members to know that the turnout for the young mayor election in October was 46.9 per cent., which was 21.4 per cent. higher than the turnout for the election of the borough's mayor. The enthusiasm of the candidates, students, parents, teachers and the general public was overwhelming. Clearly when it matters to them, young people can be engaged and will turn out to vote, and there may be a lesson there for us all.  

In Lewisham and other areas of England and Wales we also have the young citizens panel, which is an extension of the citizens panel. A group of about 300 young people can be called on to work with the council, the young mayor, health services, the police and others to help address issues that affect young people. Recent issues that have affected young people in Lewisham include teenage pregnancy and drugs. I see that the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) is here, and he will have great sympathy on those issues. As the MP for a neighbouring constituency, he will know that young people in his area face much the same issues.  

Another event, which took place in the borough this week, was "My Voice, My Vote, My Community", which was organised by the Economic and Social Research Council. It was an opportunity for questions to be taken from an audience of all ages, including young people from south London schools. It was part of the national social science week and its aim was to give people an insight into some of the country's leading research and the influence that it has, and will have, on our social, economic and political lives. Those are some examples of what is happening in my local area. They could be reproduced in other areas throughout the country. They show that young people will happily engage in the democratic process if they are given the opportunity. I am delighted to say that as a result of some of that work, Lewisham council has been justly rewarded with a beacon award for positive youth engagement.

Black and ethnic minority communities are young communities in many ways, and we must do more to engage those under-represented groups. This morning, with politicians from all parties, I attended the launch in Parliament of Operation Black Vote, a project initiated by the Electoral Commission. I have taken part in the scheme before and I was delighted to take part today in my new ministerial role. I commend the scheme to any Member who has not been involved with it. The aim is to improve the political representation of black and minority ethnic communities in local and national politics, and we should do what we can to further that aim.  

From those examples, I am not persuaded that the levels of disengagement are based on apathy. In fact, research by MORI in 2003 into attitudes of the group it calls disaffected youth suggests that the issue is more about disaffection. It concludes that young people do not make the connection between their personal dissatisfaction with a particular issue and the use of traditional political processes as a way of expressing that dissatisfaction or of seeking a solution to those problems.  

Our challenge is to find ways to bridge the disconnection between young people's civic interests and activities, and the formal processes of democracy. I shall give the House a couple of examples of how we might do that. The Electoral Administration Bill is going through the House, and to help tackle under-registration, we have included key measures in the Bill. We have also made available £2.5 million to support a new power to encourage electoral participation. It is intended that that money will enable returning officers and electoral registration officers in England and Wales to undertake promotional activity, such as posters, leaflets and outreach work, to encourage registration and participation in elections locally. We are also legislating to let parents take children into the polling booth, so that children can see their parents vote and how the voting process works.  

The Electoral Commission's research after the 2005 general election found that younger age groups were much less likely to turn out to vote. It also highlighted lower turnout in urban areas and among the most socially deprived. The 1824 Collective campaign in London, which has just finished, was aimed at getting more of the capital's young people registered to vote. The campaign involved collaborative work with the Greater London Assembly, the Mayor's office, the Electoral Commission, Operation Black Vote, the Commission for Racial Equality and London Electoral Administration, and it received support through association with young musicians from the city. The success of this campaign is being evaluated. It involved going to the places where people are, rather than using the traditional ways of getting the message across. It used the radio media that young people listen to and it went into the organisations in which they are involved.  

My Department is also funding the Hansard Society's Heads Up website, which targets young people and hosts consultations on a variety of topics. It encourages, supports and enables young people to participate in democratic processes, such as the development of Government policy and Acts of Parliament.  

The local democracy campaign, launched last month, aims to make councils more relevant and useful to young people by encouraging them to "Take Part Take Power". It will be expanded into a year-round campaign to increase young people's awareness of their power to shape their community.  

Following the low election turnout at the 2001 general election, the YVote?/YNot? project was launched. Its aim was to seek young people's views on the reasons behind the increase in youth disengagement from democratic processes. It consulted 60 young people from diverse backgrounds throughout England and concluded that young people wanted politicians to address them in a language that they could understand, not surprisingly, and to be kept informed at all times. They wanted to make citizenship education a priority on the curriculum, and for schools and colleges to receive the support they needed to deliver it. They wanted politicians to talk to them directly, regularly and in their own environment—not just at election times.

I was pleased when those young people said that they wanted citizenship to be a much more important part of the curriculum. We must address whether we are giving teachers all the resources that they need to do so. I thought that the message was beginning to get across, because—possibly unlike other Members present—I am an avid fan of "Coronation Street". If I cannot see it because I am in Parliament, I tape it so I can watch it later in the week.  

If Members have not watched "Coronation Street", they might get lost at this point, but they should bear with me. A few weeks ago, David and Gail Platt were having a mother and son teenage argument. She was concerned, because she thought that he was getting involved in drugs. He was being a sulky teenager in response, but he turned to his mother and said: "You're in no position to tell me about drugs. Look at the alcohol you drink." He proceeded to tell her just how many brain cells she was losing each day by drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and the effect that different drugs—not only cannabis, but smoking—had on different people. When she looked at him in astonishment because he had all those facts at his fingertips, he said: "But I learn this in citizenship classes." The message is getting out.  

Justine Greening (Putney) (Con): I am grateful to the Minister for raising the issue of "Coronation Street". Does she agree that Gail's lifestyle has also contributed to David's potential use of drugs? It has hardly been the most stable over the past few years.

Bridget Prentice : Much as I would enjoy analysing the different events in "Coronation Street", I agree with the hon. Lady: Gail's lifestyle may well have had a direct impact on David's attitude. Nevertheless, the point that I wanted to emphasise was that citizenship classes engage young people, and we need to work harder at promoting them and ensuring that they have all available resources.  

That brings me neatly to the Government's citizenship education programme, encouraging pupils' understanding of citizenship through active participation in community projects and discussions about controversial issues. It is important that we do more to prepare school children for their life beyond the classroom and for the role that they will have to play as citizens of this country.  

One main outcome of the YVote?/YNot? project was the encouragement of MPs to visit local schools and youth groups. Last month, my right hon. and learned Friend visited Southwark college to encourage students to register in time to vote in May's council elections. She informed them that unless more young people register to vote, Parliament risks neglecting their concerns in favour of those who do register. We would be in danger of going down the road of those who shout loudest getting what they want. Democratic engagement is crucial for everyone.  

During voter registration week in October each year in my constituency, the electoral services team visits the sixth form colleges and schools throughout the borough, makes a short presentation on the importance of registering, and provides information on how politics affects young people. The students are then offered an application form to complete and their names are added to the register effective from 1 December that year. We need to encourage and promote more such initiatives to ensure that young people get involved and stay involved in our democracy.  

Another example is the UK Youth Parliament, which helps young people to develop into active citizens and is a valuable route through which local and national decision makers can hear young people's voices. Participation in the YVote? mock elections run by the Hansard Society encourages greater interest and engagement in the process by young people. Pupils are encouraged to stand as candidates, form election teams and run election campaigns that mirror the real election process. Members are given the opportunity to vote and therefore experience what I like to think is the excitement of participating in an election.  

Another initiative, led by the Home Office, is the cross-Government "Together We Can" action plan, which is about giving people more control over their lives and communities. One strand of that is aimed at ensuring that young people are given the opportunity to participate in and influence decision making as confident and responsible citizens in a range of policy areas.  

Mr. Sadiq Khan (Tooting) (Lab): I recently discovered that the Government had allocated more than half a million pounds to Wandsworth council to spend on young people's activities. How does my hon. Friend the Minister envisage a council such as Wandsworth engaging with young people in Tooting, for example, to find out the facilities on which they would like that money to be spent?  

Bridget Prentice : I am delighted that the Government have made that money available. I am not entirely sure how a council such as Wandsworth might go about using it. I suggest that it does some of the things that Labour-led Lewisham has been doing to engage young people. The one thing that will ensure disengagement is a patronising attitude and a council not engaging directly with the young people for whom the money has been made available. My hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan), being involved himself in the democratic process, would be a good ambassador for the council to use to ensure that young people in Tooting get the decision-making opportunity that they deserve.  

The Power inquiry has received a fair amount of publicity recently. It was set up by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to investigate how political participation and involvement might be increased and deepened. It explored some of the causes of disillusionment and examined new approaches to political participation. The report was launched a couple of weeks ago and we very much welcome its contribution to the debate. It makes a wide range of recommendations and tries to deal with a number of cultural and structural issues. Some recommendations relate directly to young people. For example, the Power inquiry suggests that the voting and candidacy ages should be reduced to 16. The Government, in the context of our wish to boost voter registration and participation, are keeping that matter under consideration.  

I should be upfront at this point and say that I was at Southwark college—the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey may have been there at the time—just before the last election. I said that I personally—I emphasise "personally"—see an argument for votes at 16. Good heavens, does that mean that I am not being controversial? I do not know. Anyway, the Government are keeping an open mind on the issue. Of course we have moved some way towards that because the Electoral Administration Bill going through Parliament reduces the candidacy age from 21 to 18, so we have made a start.  

Mr. Khan : Before my hon. Friend finishes dealing with the report by the Power commission, may I ask her whether she was as relieved and reassured as I was when it talked about red herrings and said: "Disengagement is NOT caused by . . . the supposedly low calibre and probity of politicians"? 

Bridget Prentice : We can all be delighted that the Power inquiry came to that conclusion. Sometimes when people see politicians at close quarters and some of the things that we are engaged in, they realise that we are not nearly as bad as we are sometimes painted.  We have made a start with the Electoral Administration Bill, the 1824 Collective campaign, the analysis and recommendations by the Power inquiry and the local democracy campaign, but more can and must be done. Politicians and political parties obviously have a vital role to play in our democracy. The Electoral Commission emphasised, even in the discussions about the controversy over funding of political parties, that political parties are an essential element of our democratic process. It is also important to remember that the political and democratic engagement of young people in our society is an issue for all of us to tackle on a non-partisan basis. This morning's launch of Operation Black Vote was a good example of that. We will deal with the problem properly only by working together. I am delighted to have opened this debate and I look forward to hearing contributions from hon. Members on both sides of the Chamber. I assure them that all contributions will be received positively and the Government will do what we can to use them to help us engage young people more in future.   

…Closing Speech 

5.17 pm

Bridget Prentice : With the leave of the House, I shall be brief, as I spoke at some length earlier.  I thank all hon. Members who participated in the debate. I know that we always say at the end of debates, "This was a very good debate", but this was an excellent opportunity to hear the different ideas and initiatives. So much so, in fact, that I got quite excited in the middle of it and thought, "Look, all these people all think the same things. This is relatively straightforward and we ought to have no problem at all in achieving some of the aims that have been described."  

Sadly, of course, things are not always as simple as that. The merry band in here this afternoon have come because they feel passionately about engaging young people in our political system. Therefore, we all have a job of work to do in going out and getting that message across elsewhere. The hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) raised that issue right at the beginning, when she talked about directness and going to young people. I agree with her wholeheartedly that we should do that. The Hansard Society has rightly been mentioned a number of times in a very positive fashion. It has an excellent pack to help MPs going into schools on the kind of things that we should be saying and doing to engage with young people.  

I should also make it clear fairly early on in my summing-up that the Government are neutral on voting at 16, but we are keeping the issue under active consideration. Nevertheless, the Chamber now knows my personal views on the subject. I should probably say no more about it, except that I found it interesting that when people were analysing the reasons for and against voting at 16, and whether it would mean people becoming MPs at 16 or would just be a gesture, they had a much more sensible approach to the subject. Just because one is able to vote, it does not mean that one will automatically take on the role of being a candidate. It is not as scary a proposition as some have found it in the past.  My hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Michael Jabez Foster) made several good points. Much as I would like Lewisham council to be held up as a beacon for the many things that it does to engage young
people, it is heartening to know that similar activities are taking place elsewhere in the country. He made an important point about the Youth Parliament, which has been highly praised throughout the debate. I think that the Modernisation Committee suggested that the Youth Parliament should be allowed to use the main Chamber, but that was not taken up by the House of Commons Commission. All I can say on that to him and others who agreed that it would be a good idea is that I shall take it up, through the Department, to see if we can make something like that happen. [Hon. Members: "Hear, hear."]  

As we are short of time, I shall pick up on only a few of the points made by hon. Members in their full and detailed contributions. Frankly, given what is happening elsewhere in the House today, few people are around, and I was afraid that there might be only me and perhaps one other person in the debate. The turnout shows that Members on both sides of the House take the debate seriously and recognise what issues are involved.  

In response to the hon. Members for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) and for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson), I assure the House that we are making registration easier under the Electoral Administration Bill, because people will have a bit longer to register to vote after an election has been called. We are also giving returning officers the power to put more information on polling cards. I certainly remember seeing polling cards with maps on the back. That is one way of informing people where their polling stations are, and I understand that many authorities do that. We are also piloting mobile voting. I will dare to mention Lewisham again, and tell hon. Members that we are having voting in supermarkets and early voting. Elsewhere in the country, voting in town centres is being piloted.  

My hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, North (Edward Miliband) made an interesting point about young people and services. It made me think that the Chancellor's announcement yesterday about the very welcome money for young people and sport in the run-up to the Olympics is another opportunity to engage young people in the things on which they are keen to engage. Winning the 2012 Olympics for London was a big political operation, and we now have an opportunity to join those elements together and show young people that some of the things that they are actively involved in have a big political impact.  My hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Mrs. Hodgson) made several excellent points. I understand entirely what she means when she talks about going into schools and thinking, "I can get through half a dozen in a day", but finding that one cannot. Once we engage with young people and discuss issues that affect them, we want to stay with that group for as long as possible, and time moves on. She also talked about people voting at 16 in Austria. I understand that they can do so in local elections in some cities and states. There is a dual voting system whereby 16-year-olds can vote in local elections in some areas.  

I very much agree with what my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) said about the citizenship curriculum. We are encouraging teachers to make use of experts from elsewhere to add to and expand on the information that teachers give on that.  

In her contribution on behalf of the official Opposition, the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) talked about the number of young people who are involved in volunteering. She is quite right: a huge proportion of our young people are involved. In his Budget speech yesterday, the Chancellor talked about more funding being available for that. Her point reminded me that a number of young people are involved in caring, and some very young people are involved in serious and quite onerous caring for adults who live in their households.  

We should remember that the services for young people which my hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West talked about go way beyond the fact that they might want a youth club. They have to deal with serious issues and take on responsibilities. We should not underestimate the ability of young people to behave in an adult and responsible fashion. We should be a bit more confident about what many of our teenagers can achieve.  

My hon. Friend also talked about perception, which is largely down to the negative media response to politicians in general. As was said earlier, when individuals meet their MPs, they often do not have such a negative view of them, so there is an onus to get out and about as much as possible to undermine the negative perception that can come across through the way we are described in the media.  

I very much agree with what my hon. Friend said about engagement and trust. We have all had a constituent who fundamentally disagrees with our point of view write to us about a particular subject. That is life. Politics would be really boring if we all agreed on everything. Sometimes, we have to say to such constituents, "These are my arguments, and this is why I think this. I am sorry, but we will just have to agree to disagree." More often than not, the constituent will write back and say thank you. They much prefer to hear a robust argument than a bland, "Well, I'd like to think about it", and an attempt to assuage their opinion, especially when we know in our heart of hearts that we disagree with them. We should continue to show that kind of honesty, engagement and communication to constituents of any age.  

I want also to put on record my thanks to the parliamentary education unit, which a number of hon. Members mentioned. It is a fantastically well run organisation that engages young people in Parliament on the few occasions when they come into this fantastic building. I still get a little leap of joy and inspiration just walking into it. During the recess, when the unit takes a large number of young people into the building, I enjoy coming in and chatting with them about what being an MP is all about.  

Finally, I want to reiterate the importance of democratic engagement in this country. I also want to say that I feel uplifted by the debate. I would like to use what has been said, and also to engage with hon. Members who participated and those who were unable to come along, to feed in all the ideas, initiatives and things that are going on up and down the country and to see whether we can put together a coherent programme of work, so that we can share the good ideas.