The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008

Registration of European parliamentary overseas electors

14.—(1) A peer who, apart from the requirement of registration, is entitled by virtue of section 3 of the 1985 Act(1) to vote as an elector at a European parliamentary election in the electoral region of Northern Ireland is entitled to be registered in a register under section 3 of that Act, prepared and published by the registration officer in accordance with this regulation and the provisions applied by it.

(2) It is the duty of the registration officer appointed under section 8(4) of the 1983 Act to—

(a) prepare and publish a register under section 3 of the 1985 Act (which under subsection (7) of that section shall so far as practicable be combined with the register of parliamentary and local electors) in respect of any year for which any peer to whom paragraph (1) applies is entitled to be registered; and

(b) to take reasonable steps to obtain information required by him for that purpose.

(3) The provisions of the 1983 Act and the 1985 Act which are set out in column 1 of Schedule 4 to these Regulations shall, subject to—

(a) any modifications and exceptions specified in relation to those provisions in column 2 of the Schedule, and

(b) paragraph (4),

apply for the purposes of the registration of peers who (subject to the requirement of registration) are entitled to vote at a European parliamentary election as they apply for the purpose of the registration of parliamentary electors.

(4) Unless the context otherwise requires, in the provisions applied by Schedule 4 to these Regulations—

(a) any reference to an overseas elector’s declaration shall be construed as a reference to a European Parliamentary overseas elector’s declaration;

(b) any reference to a constituency shall be construed as a reference to the electoral region of Northern Ireland;

(c) any reference to a register of parliamentary electors shall be construed as a reference to a register kept under section 3 of the 1985 Act and any reference to the register of local electors shall be disregarded; and

(d) any reference to a provision which is also applied by Schedule 4 to these Regulations shall be construed as a reference to such a provision as so applied.

(5) Regulations 3, 5 to 8, 11, 20 to 24, 26, 28 to 40, 44(2), 47 to 52 and 53 shall apply to a European Parliamentary overseas elector’s declaration and registration in pursuance of it as they apply to an overseas elector’s declaration and registration in pursuance of it.

(6) For the purposes set out in paragraph (5), those regulations shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have effect as if—

(a) any reference to a parliamentary elector is a reference to a peer entitled to vote at a European Parliamentary election under section 3 of the 1985 Act;

(b) any reference to an overseas elector is a reference to a European Parliamentary overseas elector;

(c) any reference to an overseas elector’s declaration is a reference to a European Parliamentary overseas elector’s declaration; and

(d) any reference to a provision which is applied by Schedule 4 to these Regulations is a reference to that provision as so applied.

(7) A register under section 3 of the 1985 Act may be published by means of a notice making additions to the registers of parliamentary electors and of local electors with which it must be combined.

(1)

Sections 2 and 3 were substituted by Schedule 2 to the 2000 Act.