PART IIITHE ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Individual candidate: inspection of returns and declarations

64.—(1) Any returns or declarations (including the accompanying documents) delivered to the appropriate returning officer under articles 42, 54 or 56—

(a)shall be kept at the appropriate returning officer’s office or some convenient place appointed by him, and

(b)shall at all reasonable times during the two years next after they are received by him be open to inspection by any person on payment of the fee specified in paragraph (2),

and the appropriate returning officer shall on demand and on payment of the fee specified in paragraph (3) provide copies of them or any part of them.

(2) The fee for inspecting a return or declaration (including any accompanying documents) referred to in paragraph (1) shall be £1.50.

(3) The fee payable for a copy of any such return, declaration or document referred to in paragraph (1) shall be at the rate of 15p for each side of each page.

(4) After the expiry of those two years the appropriate returning officer—

(a)may cause those returns and declarations (including the accompanying documents) to be destroyed, or

(b)if the candidate or his election agent so require, shall return them to the candidate.

(5) Any returns or declarations delivered under article 42 shall be returned not to a candidate (if he or his election agent so require) but to the person delivering them if he so requires.

(6) The Assembly may by order made by statutory instrument vary the amount of any fee payable under paragraph (2) or (3).