Representation of the People Act 1983

14 Service qualification

(1) A person has a service qualification for the purposes of this Act who—

(a) is a member of the forces,

(b) (not being such a member) is employed in the service of the Crown in a post outside the United Kingdom of any prescribed class or description,

(c) is employed by the British Council in a post outside the United Kingdom,

(d) is the wife or husband of a member of the forces,

(e) is the wife or husband of a person mentioned in paragraph (b) or paragraph (c) above and is residing outside the United Kingdom to be with her husband or, as the case may be, his wife,

and where a person leaves the United Kingdom to take up employment or residence as mentioned above or returns to the United Kingdom at the end of such employment or residence, the employment or residence shall be deemed to begin from the time of leaving or to continue until the time of returning, as the case may be.

(2) For the purposes of section 1(2) above a person ceasing to have a service qualification shall be treated as if he were resident in Northern Ireland for the period during which he had a service qualification.