The Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officer’s Charges) (Northern Ireland) Order 2024

Statutory Instruments

2024 No. 747

Representation Of The People, Northern Ireland

The Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officer’s Charges) (Northern Ireland) Order 2024

Made

6th June 2024

Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2)

The Secretary of State, with the consent of the Treasury, makes this Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 29(3)(b) and (4C) of the Representation of the People Act 1983(1).

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officer’s Charges) (Northern Ireland) Order 2024.

(2) This Order comes into force on the day after the day on which it is made.

(3) This Order extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Overall maximum recoverable amount

2.  For the purposes of section 29(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 the amount specified as the overall maximum recoverable amount at—

(a) an uncontested parliamentary election in a constituency is £1,750.00;

(b) a contested parliamentary election in a constituency is the amount specified in respect of that constituency in the table in the Schedule to this Order.

Revocation

3.  The Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officer’s Charges) (Northern Ireland) Order 2017(2) is revoked.

Chris Heaton-Harris

Secretary of State

Northern Ireland Office

6th June 2024

We consent to this Order.

Amanda Milling

Mike Wood

Two of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury

30th May 2024

Article 2(b)

SCHEDULE Overall maximum recoverable amount for each constituency

Constituency	Overall maximum recoverable amount
Belfast East	£298,200.00
Belfast North	£304,800.00
Belfast South and Mid Down	£304,700.00
Belfast West	£310,200.00
East Antrim	£301,400.00
East Londonderry	£311,500.00
Fermanagh and South Tyrone	£319,300.00
Foyle	£302,000.00
Lagan Valley	£336,700.00
Mid Ulster	£304,500.00
Newry and Armagh	£322,000.00
North Antrim	£307,000.00
North Down	£303,100.00
South Antrim	£315,800.00
South Down	£313,100.00
Strangford	£306,200.00
Upper Bann	£333,700.00
West Tyrone	£305,800.00

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

Section 29(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2) enables the Secretary of State to specify in an Order the overall maximum recoverable amount that a returning officer may recover in respect of services rendered or expenses incurred for or in connection with a parliamentary election.

This Order specifies the overall maximum recoverable amounts in respect of each constituency in Northern Ireland (of which there are 18). At an uncontested election in any constituency the overall maximum recoverable amount is £1,750.00. At a contested election, the maximum amount recoverable in total is £5,600,000.00, which is the sum of the overall maximum recoverable amount for each constituency set out in the table in the Schedule to the Order.

This Order also revokes the Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officer’s Charges) (Northern Ireland) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/652).

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

(1)

1983 c. 2; subsections (3) to (4C) were substituted for subsections (3) to (4) by section 1 of the Representation of the People Act 1991 (c. 11). Subsection (3) was substituted by section 68 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22) and amended by section 18 of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (c. 6). Subsection (4C) was amended by paragraph 4 of Schedule 6 to the Representation of the People Act 2000 (c. 2). Subsections (3) to (11) were substituted by paragraph 6 of Schedule 21 to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41), as amended by paragraph 107 of Schedule 1 to the Electoral Administration Act 2006, but those amendments are not yet in force. Consent of the Treasury is required by section 29(9) of the Representation of the People Act 1983, which was inserted by section 1 of the Representation of the People Act 1991, substituted by S.I. 1991/1728 and amended by section 68 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006. Other amendments to section 29 are not relevant.

(2)

S.I. 2017/652.