The Returning Officers (Parliamentary Constituencies) (Wales) Order 2007

Statutory Instruments

2007 No. 171

representation of the people

The Returning Officers (Parliamentary Constituencies) (Wales) Order 2007

Made

23 January 2007

Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2)

The Secretary of State makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 24(1)(cc) and 28(1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act 1983.(1)

In accordance with section 7(1) and (2)(c) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000,(2) he has consulted the Electoral Commission.

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Returning Officers (Parliamentary Constituencies) (Wales) Order 2007.

(2) This Order comes into force—

(a) for the purposes of parliamentary elections upon the next issue of a proclamation by Her Majesty summoning a new Parliament;

(b) for the purposes of proceedings preliminary or relating to the next general election, on the day after the day on which it is made.

(3) References to constituencies in this Order are references to constituencies in Wales, which are established by the Parliamentary Constituencies and Assembly Electoral Regions (Wales) Order 2006(3) or any subsequent Order in respect of Wales under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986.(4)

Revocations

2.  Subject to article 1(2), the following Orders are revoked—

(a) the Returning Officers (Parliamentary Constituencies) (Wales) Order 1996(5); and

(b) the Returning Officers (Parliamentary Constituencies) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2004.(6)

Designation of returning officers at parliamentary elections

3.  In the case of the county constituency of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, being a county constituency which is not coterminous with or wholly contained in a preserved county as defined by section 64 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994,(7) the sheriff of the preserved county of Mid Glamorgan shall be the returning officer at a parliamentary election.

4.  In the case of the borough constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth, being a borough constituency which is not coterminous with or wholly contained in a county or county borough, the chairman of Cardiff County Council shall be the returning officer for a parliamentary election.

Designation of acting returning officers at parliamentary elections

5.  In the case of a county constituency specified in column 1 of the Schedule to this Order, the duties of the returning officer for a parliamentary election shall be discharged, as acting returning officer, by the officer of the council appointed to be the electoral registration officer by the council of the county or county borough specified in column 2 of the Schedule opposite to the name of the constituency.

Signed on the behalf of the Secretary of State

Bridget Prentice

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Constitutional Affairs

23 January 2007

Article 5

SCHEDULE ACTING RETURNING OFFICERS FOR COUNTY CONSTITUENCIES

1	2
Name of county constituency	County or county borough for which registration officer is acting returning officer
Aberavon	Neath Port Talbot
Aberconwy	Conwy
Alyn and Deeside	Flintshire
Arfon	Gwynedd
Blaenau Gwent	Blaenau Gwent
Brecon and Radnorshire	Powys
Bridgend	Bridgend
Caerphilly	Caerphilly
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr	Carmarthenshire
Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire	Pembrokeshire
Ceredigion	Ceredigion
Clwyd South	Wrexham
Clwyd West	Conwy
Cynon Valley	Rhondda, Cynon, Taff
Delyn	Flintshire
Dwyfor Meirionnydd	Gwynedd
Gower	Swansea
Islwyn	Caerphilly
Llanelli	Carmarthenshire
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney	Merthyr Tydfil
Monmouth	Monmouthshire
Montgomeryshire	Powys
Neath	Neath Port Talbot
Newport East	Newport
Newport West	Newport
Ogmore	Bridgend
Pontypridd	Rhondda, Cynon, Taff
Preseli Pembrokeshire	Pembrokeshire
Rhondda	Rhondda, Cynon, Taff
Torfaen	Torfaen
Vale of Clwyd	Denbighshire
Vale of Glamorgan	The Vale of Glamorgan
Wrexham	Wrexham
Ynys Môn	Isle of Anglesey

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order makes fresh provision for the designation of returning officers and acting returning officers in certain constituencies in Wales in consequence of changes made to parliamentary constituencies in Wales by the Parliamentary Constituencies and Assembly Electoral Regions (Wales) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1041).

This Order does not come fully into force for the purposes of parliamentary elections until the next general election is called.

Article 3 designates the sheriff of the preserved county of Mid Glamorgan as returning officer for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

Article 4 designates the chairman of Cardiff County Council as returning officer for the borough constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth.

Article 5 and the Schedule to this Order designate the acting returning officers for county constituencies in Wales.

(1)

1983 c. 2; section 24(1)(cc) was inserted by paragraph 68(3) of Schedule 16 to the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19).

(2)

2000 c. 41.

(3)

S.I. 2006/1041.

(4)

The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (c. 56) was extended by Schedule 1 to the Government of Wales Act 1998 (c. 38) for the purposes of alterations to the electoral regions of the National Assembly for Wales.

(5)

S.I. 1996/897.

(6)

S.I. 2004/1204.

(7)

1994 c. 19.