CHECKS are being carried out to ensure only eligible people will be able to vote on Brexit, Bury North MP David Nuttall has been told in Parliament.

Mr Nuttall contributed to a debate in the House of Commons on June 8 about voter registration for the EU Referendum vote, which is taking place on June 23.

During the debate, Mr Nuttall asked: "The fact that someone has a national insurance number does not of itself establish that they are eligible to vote in the referendum.

"Will (the minister) explain what checks are being done to verify that everyone who applies is genuinely able to vote in the referendum?"

In response, Cabinet Office Minister Matthew Hancock said: "That is an incredibly important question.

"The eligibility requirements were debated extensively in the House of Commons.

"After someone applies to register online, the application is not taken at face value but is checked against Government data to make sure that that person meets the eligibility rules set.

"That is one reason why there needs to be time between the deadline and polling day — to make sure that exactly the concerns that (Mr Nuttall) raises are met."

People had until the end of June 7 to register to vote and some claimed they were unable to do so because of a website crash just before the deadline.

That led to Prime Minister David Cameron announcing an extension until the end of last Friday.

The result of the Brexit vote is set to be announced on the morning of June 24.