PART 10U.K.Amendment of conduct rules for other elections, referendums and recall petitions

Amendment of regulation 25 (questions to be put to persons signing the petition)E+W+S

75.  In regulation 25 (questions to be put to persons signing the petition)—

(a)in the table following paragraph (1), in the column headed “Questions”, in entry 1 (electors), entry 2 (proxies), entry 3 (proxies for an elector with an anonymous entry), entry 5 (postal signers) and entry 6 (proxy postal signers), before question (a) insert—

“(za)At a petition held in England, Wales or Scotland, “What is your name?”

(zb)At a petition held in England, Wales or Scotland, “What is your address?””;

(b)after paragraph (3) insert—

“(3A) Where at a petition held in England, Wales or Scotland an assistant appointed to assist the petition clerk—

(a)gives a person the required information (see paragraph (6)),

(b)puts a question specified in paragraph (1) to a person, and

(c)decides that the person has failed to answer the question satisfactorily,

the assistant must refer the matter to the petition clerk, who must put the question to the person again.”;

(c)in paragraph (4), for “A” substitute “At a petition held in Northern Ireland, a”;

(d)after paragraph (4) insert—

“(4A) Where at a petition held in England, Wales or Scotland the petition clerk—

(a)gives a person the required information,

(b)puts a question specified in paragraph (1) to the person (whether or not following a referral under paragraph (3A)), and

(c)decides that the person has failed to answer the question satisfactorily,

the petition clerk must refuse to deliver a signing sheet to the person (and see regulation 30A (procedure where signing sheet is refused under this paragraph)).

(4B) For the purposes of this regulation, a person answers the question “What is your name?” or “What is your address?” satisfactorily if—

(a)where one of those questions is put, the answer matches a name or address (as the case may be) in the register;

(b)where both those questions are put, the answers match a name and address in that register that relate to the same person.

(4C) In the case of an elector in respect of whom a notice has been issued under section 13BC(6) of the 1983 Act, the references to the register in paragraph (4B) are to be read as references to the notice issued under section 13BC(6).”;

(e)in paragraph (5), after “petition” insert “(and for the purposes of this paragraph, an inquiry relating to the production of identification by a person is not to be regarded as an inquiry as to the right of the person to sign the petition)”;

(f)after paragraph (5) insert—

“(6) For the purposes of this regulation, a person to whom any question is to be put is given “the required information” if the person is first informed that—

(a)a signing sheet will be refused if the person fails to answer each question satisfactorily, and

(b)giving false information may be an offence.”.

Commencement Information