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A government minister has dealt a blow to the direct marketing

industry’s campaign to keep access to the electoral register by

attacking ’junk mail’, and claiming people are sick of receiving it.

Home Office minister Mike O’Brien attacked the direct marketing industry

as he defended plans to limit commercial access to the electoral roll,

during last week’s debate on the Representation of the People Bill in

the Commons.

O’Brien said: ’The ability of commercial companies to use the register

for sending junk mail is one of the main complaints to returning

officers and the Home Office. People are sick of junk mail and they want

something to be done.’

During the debate, marketers suffered a further setback as the

government defeated proposed amendments to the Bill intended to give the

direct marketing industry access to the full electoral register. Among

those defeated was a proposal from John Greenway, the Conservative

Shadow Home Office minister, who asked for full copies of the register

to be supplied to marketing organisations registered under the 1998 Data

Protection Act.

The DM industry had hoped that O’Brien’s line would soften after

learning of the costs, estimated at up to pounds 800m, of preventing

access to a full copy of the roll for marketing purposes.

In a letter to Colin Lloyd, chief executive of the Direct Marketing

Association, O’Brien said: ’The full version will only be available for

electoral purposes, for law enforcement and crime prevention and in

connection with applications for credit.’

Lloyd said: ’I feel like the guy who’s going into the ring with Mike

Tyson. This was round five or six and the fight will go on.’

The Bill moves into the Lords, following its third reading, on January

19.