Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024

4 Provision connected to the duty to register eligible local government electors

(1) The 1983 Act is amended as follows.

(2) In section 9 (registers of electors), after subsection (2) insert—

“(2A) Subject to any other provision of this Act, each register of local government electors for an area in Wales must also contain the names of persons who are registered in accordance with section 9ZA(5) along with the information mentioned in paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (2) relating to those persons.”

(3) In section 9E (maintenance of registers: invitations to register in Great Britain), after subsection (1) insert—

“(1A) The duty of a registration officer under subsection (1) does not apply in relation to the registration of a person in a register of local government electors for an area in Wales if—

(a) the registration officer has yet to complete any steps prescribed under section 53 in connection with the duty in section 9ZA(3) as it relates to the person or is otherwise yet to decide whether the duty in section 9ZA applies to the person,

(b) the duty in section 9ZA(3) applies in relation to the person and the notice period under that section has not ended, or

(c) the duty in section 9ZA(5) applies in relation to the person.”

(4) In section 13A(1) (alteration of registers), after paragraph (zb) insert—

“(zc) in the case of a registration officer for a local government area in Wales, is required by section 9ZA(5) to enter a person in the register;”.

(5) In section 13AB(1) (alteration of registers: interim publication dates), in paragraph (a) after “(zb),” insert “(zc),”.

(6) In section 13B(2) (alteration of registers: pending elections), in paragraph (a) after “(zb),” insert “(zc),”.

(7) In section 53 (power to make regulations as to registration etc.), after subsection (8) insert—

“(8A) Provision made by regulations relating to the matters specified in paragraph 1A(1)(aa) of Schedule 2—

(a) may only be made by the Welsh Ministers;

(b) may not include provision that would require the consent of the appropriate Minister under paragraph 8(1)(a) or (c), 10 or 11 of Schedule 7B to the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32) if the provision were included in an Act of Senedd Cymru;

(c) may not include provision that would require consultation of the appropriate Minister under paragraph 11(2) of Schedule 7B to that Act if the provision were included in an Act of Senedd Cymru.”

(8) In section 56(1) (registration appeals: England and Wales), after paragraph (aa) insert—

“(azaa) from any decision of a registration officer for a local government area in Wales to register a person under section 9ZA(5);”.

(9) In Schedule 2 (provisions which may be contained in regulations as to registration etc.)—

(a) in paragraph 1A(1), after paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa) to decide whether a person is eligible to be included in the register for the purpose of section 9ZA,”;

(b) after paragraph 1B insert—

“1C Provision authorising or requiring a registration officer maintaining a register of local government electors for an area in Wales to take specified steps for the purpose of deciding whether a person is eligible to be included in the register for the purpose of section 9ZA.”

(c) in paragraph 10, after sub-paragraph (2) insert—

“(3) This paragraph does not apply to a register of local government electors for an area in Wales.”

(d) in paragraph 10B, after sub-paragraph (3) insert—

“(4) Paragraph (b) of sub-paragraph (1) does not apply to a register of local government electors for an area in Wales.”