STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
2003 No. 1942
REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE
The Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003
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Made |
23rd July 2003 | |
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Coming into force |
6th August 2003 | |
Whereas the Secretary of State has consulted the Electoral Commission in accordance with section 7(1) and (2)(e) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000[1] about these Regulations;
And whereas a draft of these Regulations has been approved by resolution of each House of Parliament:
Now, therefore, the Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 10(4), 53 and 201(1) and (3) of, and paragraph 10(2) of Schedule 2 to, the Representation of the People Act 1983[2], having regard to the definition of "prescribed" in section 202(1) of that Act, hereby makes the following Regulations:
Citation, commencement and extent
1.
- (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003 and shall come into force on the expiry of 14 days beginning with the day on which they are made.
(2) These Regulations extend to Northern Ireland only.
Revocation
2.
Regulation 4 of, and Schedule 2 to, the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2002[3] are hereby revoked.
Prescribed forms
3.
- (1) The form in Part 1 of the Schedule to these Regulations is hereby prescribed for the purposes of section 10(4) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (form of annual canvass).
(2) The form of words in Part 2 of the Schedule to these Regulations is hereby specified for the purposes of paragraph 10(2) of Schedule 2 to the Representation of the People Act 1983 (provisions which may be contained in regulations as to registration etc.).
Amendment of provision about applications
4.
In regulation 26(6) of the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001[4] for "Part II of Schedule 2 to the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) (Regulations 2002" substitute "Part 2 of the Schedule to the Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003".
Paul Murphy
One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State
Northern Ireland Office
23rd July 2003
SCHEDULE
Form of Canvass and Form of Words about the Two Versions of the Register
PART I
Form prescribed for the purposes of section 10(4) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as substituted by Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 2000)
PART 2
Form of words about the two versions of the register
The two versions of the Electoral register
The Electoral Office maintain two versions of the Electoral Register - the full Register and the edited Register.
Please say in your registration form if you wish your name and address to be excluded from the edited register.
The full Register
The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote and includes their address. You can check that your name has been included by calling at any of the Area Electoral Offices or at District Council Offices. Only certain people and organisations are allowed copies of the full Register and they can only use it for specified purposes. The main use of the full register is for elections and referendums, but it can also be used for other purposes such as the prevention and detection of crime and for checking your identity when you have applied for credit. Details of others who can have copies of the full register and what they can use it for are given in the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002 No. 1873). It is a criminal offence not to comply with the Regulations. For example, it is a criminal offence either to pass the full register on to anyone or to use it for any purpose, except as allowed by the Regulations. These Regulations are available on the internet at www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm or you can buy a copy from the Stationery Office Ltd.
The edited Register
The edited register leaves out the names and addresses of people who have asked for them to be excluded from that version of the register. The edited register can be bought by anyone who asks for a copy and they may use it for any purpose.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
Under section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as substituted by Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 2000) the electoral registration officer is required to conduct an annual canvass (by reference to residence on 15th October in that year) to ascertain the persons who are entitled to be or remain registered as parliamentary or local government electors. These Regulations prescribe a form for the purposes of that canvass.
In addition, regulation 3 and Part 2 of the Schedule to the Regulations specify a new form of words to be included in notes to the registration form (or to be sent to an applicant for registration who applies otherwise than on the prescribed form), relating to the two forms of register (the full register and the edited register) and the possibility of applying to be excluded from the edited register.
Notes:
[1]
2000 c. 41.back
[2]
1983 c. 2; section 10 was substituted by Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 2000 (c. 2), section 201(3) was inserted by Schedule 1 to that Act and paragraph 10 of Schedule 2 was substituted by section 9 of that Act.back
[3]
S.I. 2002/1873.back
[4]
S.I. 2001/400; regulation 26(6) was inserted by regulation 10(7) of S.I. 2002/1873.back
ISBN
0 11 047125 3
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