The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008

Interpretation

3.—(1) For the purposes of these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—

“the 1962 Act” means the Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962(1);

“the 1983 Act” means the Representation of the People Act 1983;

“the 1985 Act” means the Representation of the People Act 1985(2);

“the 1989 Act” means the Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act 1989(3);

“the 2000 Act” means the Representation of the People Act 2000(4);

“the 2002 Act” means the Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002(5);

“the 2006 Act” means the Electoral Administration Act 2006;

“available for inspection” means available for inspection during ordinary office hours;

“British Council employee” means a person employed by the British Council in a post outside the United Kingdom;

“candidate” has the same meaning as section 118A of the 1983 Act(6);

“copy of a birth certificate” means—

(a)

in relation to a birth certificate issued in Northern Ireland, a certified copy of a birth entry issued by the Registrar General of Births and Deaths in Northern Ireland;

(b)

in relation to a birth certificate issued in England or Wales, a certified copy of a birth entry issued by the Registrar General for England and Wales;

(c)

in relation to a birth certificate issued in Scotland, an extract of a birth entry issued by the Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages for Scotland; and

(d)

in relation to a birth certificate issued elsewhere, a copy certified by the issuing authority;

“Crown servant” means a person who is employed in a post falling within the class or description set out in regulation 16;

“data” means information which is recorded with the intention that it should be processed by means of equipment operating automatically in response to instructions given for that purpose;

“edited register” has the meaning given in regulation 93(1);

“elections rules” means the parliamentary elections rules in Schedule 1 to the 1983 Act;

“European Parliamentary overseas elector” means a peer who has made a European Parliamentary overseas elector’s declaration and is registered or is entitled to be registered in pursuance of it;

“European Parliamentary overseas elector’s declaration” means a declaration made in pursuance of section 2 of the 1985 Act, as applied by regulation 14 of, and Schedule 4 to, these Regulations;

“full register” has the meaning given in regulation 93(1);

“list of overseas electors” means the list prepared under regulation 53;

“local elector” and “local election” have the same meaning as in section 130(1) of the 1962 Act;

“Miscellaneous Provisions Act” means the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006(7);

“overseas elector” means a person who has made an overseas elector’s declaration and is registered or entitled to be registered as a parliamentary elector in pursuance of it;

“specified authorities” means authorities set out in regulation 42(2);

“specified information” means information set out in regulation 42(3) to (6);

“register” means the register of electors;

“registration area” means the area covered by a particular register; and

“registration officer” means the electoral registration officer.

(2) A reference in these Regulations to a form identified by means of an alphabetical letter shall be construed as a reference to the form so identified in Schedule 3 to these Regulations.

(3) Any reference in these Regulations to a provision of the 1983 Act which has been applied by section 2(1) of, and Schedule 1 to, the 1989 Act (8) shall include a reference to that provision as so applied and with any modifications specified in Part II of that Schedule.

(1)

1962 c.14 (N.I.).

(2)

1985 c.50.

(3)

1989 c.3.

(4)

2000 c.2.

(5)

2002 c.13.

(6)

Section 118A was inserted by section 135(2) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c.41).

(7)

2006 c.33.

(8)

Schedule 1 has been amended by Schedule 3 to the 2000 Act, section 7 of the 2002 Act and Schedule 4 to the Miscellaneous Provisions Act.