The Recall of MPs Act 2015 (Recall Petition) Regulations 2016

Supply of register on request and specific restrictionsU.K.

3.—(1) The petition officer must supply free of charge a copy of the register and any notices issued under section 13BC(6) of the 1983 Act upon request to—

(a)a registered party other than a minor party, within the meaning of section 160(1) of PPERA 2000 (general interpretation);

(b)the MP to whom a petition relates;

(c)the Electoral Commission;

(d)the Security Service, Government Communications Headquarters and the Secret Intelligence Service;

(e)any police force in Great Britain, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (Reserve), the National Crime Agency and any body of constables established under an Act of Parliament; and

(f)an accredited campaigner within the meaning of Part 5 of Schedule 3 to the Act.

(2) A request under subparagraph (1) must be made in writing and must—

(a)specify the documents requested;

(b)state whether the request is made only in respect of the current documents or whether it includes a request for the supply of any subsequent document on publication for so long as the person making the request falls within the category of persons entitled to receive the documents requested; and

(c)state whether a printed copy of any of the documents is requested instead of the version in data form.

(3) Unless a request has been made in advance of supply under subparagraph (2)(c), the copy of a document supplied under this paragraph is to be in data form.

(4) The petition officer must supply the documents referred to in subparagraph (2) in accordance with a request that has been duly made.

(5) A person or body to whom this paragraph applies who has been supplied with a copy of a register or notices under this paragraph must not, other than for purposes set out in subparagraph (6)—

(a)supply a copy of that register or those notices to any other person;

(b)disclose any information contained in them that is not contained in the edited register; or

(c)make use of any such information.

(6) Those purposes are—

(a)in the case of a person or body falling within subparagraph (1)(a) or (b)—

(i)the purposes of the petition, or

(ii)the purposes of complying with the control on donations under Schedule 4 to the Act;

(b)in the case of the Electoral Commission, purposes in connection with their functions under, or by virtue of, PPERA 2000;

(c)in the case of a person or body falling within subparagraph (1)(d) or (e)—

(i)the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the criminal law (whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere),

(ii)the vetting of a relevant person (within the meaning of regulation 109(5) of the 2001 Regulations and regulation 108(5) of the 2001 (Scotland) Regulations) for the purposes of safeguarding national security;

(d)in the case of an accredited campaigner within the meaning of Part 5 of Schedule 3 to the Act—

(i)purposes in connection with the campaign in respect of the accreditation notice delivered to the petition officer under paragraph 17(1)(b) of Schedule 3 to the Act (accredited campaigners and responsible persons); or

(ii)the purposes of complying with the controls on donations in Schedule 4 to the Act (control of donations to accredited campaigners).

Commencement Information

I1Sch. 1 para. 3 in force at 4.3.2016, see reg. 1