THE man who ensures Parliamentary ballots comply with the law will examine if government minister and Harrow East MP Tony McNulty is correctly registered to vote.
Harrow Council's chief electoral officer is to conduct the probe following a request from Councillor Paul Osborn (Conservative), who as portfolio holder for communications is responsible for electoral services.
Mr Osborn said the furore over the legitimacy of Hammersmith resident McNulty's expense claims for his second home in Wealdstone raised a question about his eligibility to vote in the borough.
"My concern is whether, having listed the house as his second home for the purposes of claiming all those generous Parliamentary expenses, his admission that he makes sparse use of the property prevents him from nominating it as his home address on the electoral register.
"While many Members of Parliament have second homes in their constituencies, Tony McNulty seems to have spent a minimal amount of time at his.
"He doesn't really seem to know how often he uses the property, and his claim to use it for constituency work doesnít really hold water since thatís not what these expenses are for, and thereís a perfectly good Labour constituency office he could use nearby.
"The guidance from the Electoral Commission suggests there is a very serious democratic issue at stake here, and I have therefore asked the council's chief electoral officer to investigate."
The Harrow property for which Mr McNulty - the employment minister - was reimbursed out of public funds to the tune of nearly £60,000 since 2001/02 is his parents' address, although it is believed he owns the home.
He told the BBC that he used it for constituency work two or three days a week but did not sleep there.
Guidelines produced by the Electorial Commission said: "In the commissionís view it is unlikely that owning a second property which is visited only for recreational purposes would meet the residency qualification.
"Owning and paying council tax on a property alone is not sufficient to satisfy the residence qualification: although this may give an indication of connection to an address, it is not evidence of residence."
