Voluntary provision of identifying information

(1) In this section “identifying information”, in relation to a person, means— (a) the person’s signature or, if the person is someone to whom subsection

(2) applies, an indication to that effect; (b) the person’s date of birth; (c) the person’s national insurance number or, if the person has no national insurance number, an indication to that effect. (2) This subsection applies to a person for whom it is not reasonably practicable to sign in a consistent and distinctive way because he or she is blind or has some other disability, or cannot read.

(3) A registration officer, in carrying out his or her functions, including in particular—

  (a) maintaining registers under section 9 of the 1983 Act,

  (b) conducting canvasses under section 10 of that Act, and

  (c) determining applications for registration under section 10A or 13A of that Act, must take steps to obtain identifying information from each person who is,      or who claims to be, entitled to be or to remain registered in any of the officer’s registers.

(4) The steps taken under subsection (3) to collect identifying information must include—

  (a) asking for the information, and

  (b) explaining how collecting identifying information can help to improve the accuracy of the registers, but in taking those steps a registration officer must make clear that it is not obligatory to provide the information.

(5) A registration officer must keep a record showing the identifying information obtained under this section.

(6) The duties under this section do not apply at any time before 1 July 2010.