21.—(1) A permitted participant is entitled, subject to the following provisions of this paragraph, to request that the registration officer supply free of charge a copy of the current or the final version of any of the postal voters list, the list of proxies or the proxy postal voters list.
(2) A request under sub-paragraph (1) must be made in writing and must specify —
(a)the information requested;
(b)whether the request is made only in respect of the current lists or whether it includes a request for the supply of any final list; and
(c)whether a printed copy of the records or lists is requested or a copy in data form.
(3) A person who obtains any information under this paragraph may use it only for the purposes specified in sub-paragraph (4) and any restrictions specified in that sub-paragraph apply to such use.
(4) The restrictions on the supply, disclosure and use of the full register in regulations 94 and 96 of the 2001 Regulations apply to information covered by sub-paragraph (1), as they apply to the full register (within the meaning of regulation 93 of those Regulations)(1), except that the permitted purpose means either—
(a)referendum purposes; or
(b)research purposes within the meaning of that term in section 33 of the Data Protection Act 1998(2).
(5) If a request is duly made to a registration officer for a current copy of the information under sub-paragraph (1), the registration officer must supply that copy as soon as practicable after receipt of that request.
(6) If a request is duly made to a registration officer for a final copy of the postal voters list under sub-paragraph (1), the registration officer must supply that copy as soon as practicable after 5p.m. on the eleventh day before the day of the poll.
(7) As soon as practicable after 5p.m. on the sixth day before the day of the poll, the registration officer must—
(a)make a copy of the postal voters list, the list of proxies and the proxy postal voters list available for inspection at the registration officer’s office in accordance with sub-paragraphs (11) to (16);
(b)if the registration officer is not also the counting officer for any part of a voting area that lies wholly or partly within the registration officer’s area, send to the relevant counting officer a copy of those lists; and
(c)supply a final copy of the lists in response to every request under sub-paragraph (1) that has been duly made.
(8) A registration officer must supply a final copy of the list of proxies, updated to include any additions to that list made in consequence of any applications granted in accordance with paragraph 11(3), as soon as practicable after 5p.m. on the day of the poll, to every person who received that list in accordance with sub-paragraph (7)(c).
(9) Any person who has obtained or is entitled to obtain a copy of information covered by sub-paragraph (1) may—
(a)supply a copy of the information to a processor for the purpose of processing the information, or
(b)procure that a processor processes and supplies to them any copy of the information which the processor has obtained under this paragraph,
for use in respect of the purposes for which that person is entitled to obtain such information.
(10) Paragraphs (2) and (3) and the condition in paragraph (9) of regulation 92 of the 2001 Regulations(3) apply to the supply and processing of information supplied under this paragraph as they apply to the supply and processing of the full register under Part 6 of those regulations.
(11) Any person is entitled to request that the registration officer make available for inspection a copy of any of the information specified in sub-paragraph (1).
(12) A request under sub-paragraph (11) must be made in writing and must specify—
(a)the information requested;
(b)whether the request is made only in respect of the current lists or whether it includes a request for the inspection of any final list;
(c)who will inspect the information;
(d)the date on which they wish to inspect the information; and
(e)whether they would prefer to inspect the information in a printed or data form.
(13) A registration officer must make a final copy of the information available for inspection under supervision as soon as practicable after the date of receipt of a request that has been duly made.
(14) Where inspection takes place by providing a copy of the information on a computer screen or otherwise in data form, the registration officer must ensure that the manner in, and equipment on, which that copy is provided do not permit any person consulting that copy to—
(a)search it by electronic means by reference to the name of any person, or
(b)copy or transmit any part of that copy by electronic or any other means.
(15) A person who inspects a copy of the information, whether a printed copy or in data form, may not—
(a)make copies of any part of it, or
(b)record any particulars in it,
otherwise than by means of hand-written notes.
(16) Subject to any direction by the Secretary of State under paragraph 17(1), any duty on a registration officer to supply a copy or make information available for inspection under this paragraph imposes only a duty to provide that information in the form in which the registration officer holds it.
(17) For the purposes of this paragraph—
(a)a “current copy” of records or lists is a copy of the records or lists as kept by the registration officer at 9 a.m. on the date that it is supplied;
(b)“data form” has the same meaning as in paragraph 20; and
(c)any period of days is to be calculated in accordance with paragraph 11(6) and (7).
(18) A registration officer must ensure that where the registration officer supplies or discloses information covered by sub-paragraph (1) in accordance with this paragraph, the registration officer does not supply or disclose any record relating to—
(a)a person who has an anonymous entry in the register, or
(b)the proxy of a person who has an anonymous entry in the register.
Regulations 93 ,94 and 96 were inserted by S.I..2002/1871.Relevant amendments have been made to regulation 96 by S.I.2006/752.
Regulation 92 was inserted by S.I.2002/1871.Paragraph (2) of that regulation has been amended by S.I.2006/752.