8Consulting Electoral Commission about proposals under section 7
(1)If the Minister consults the Electoral Commission about a proposal to make an order under section 7, the Commission must prepare a report assessing—
(a)the extent to which the objective in subsection (2) is met,
(b)the extent to which the objective would be met if the order were made, and
(c)the merits of alternative ways of achieving the objective.
(2)The objective is to assist registration officers in Great Britain to ascertain—
(a)the names and addresses of persons who are not registered in a register but who are entitled to be registered;
(b)those persons who are registered in a register but who are not entitled to be registered.
(3)The Electoral Commission must give a copy of the report to the Minister by the specified date.
(4)The “specified date” means a date to be specified by the Minister and the date must not be before the end of the period of 3 months beginning with the day on which the Commission is consulted.
(5)A registration officer in Great Britain must comply with any request made by the Electoral Commission for information that it reasonably requires in connection with the preparation of a report under this section.
(6)When a draft of a statutory instrument containing an order under section 7 is laid before Parliament (see section 11), it must be accompanied by a report under this section, unless the instrument contains provision only for the purpose of reinstating the duty to conduct a canvass as mentioned in section 7(3).