Statutory Instruments
1998 No. 2870

REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE
The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 1998

Made
18th November 1998

Coming into force
2nd December 1998

Whereas a draft of these Regulations has been approved by resolution of each House of Parliament:

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 53 and 201(1)(1) of, and paragraphs 3 and 5A(1) of Schedule 2 to, the Representation of the People Act 1983(2) and sections 6(1) and (5), 7(1) and (3), 8(6) and (7) and 9(4), (7) and (8) of the Representation of the People Act 1985(3), having regard to section 27(2) of that Act and the definition of “prescribed” in section 202(1) of the Representation of the People Act 1983, I hereby make the following Regulations:

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 1998 and shall come into force on the fourteenth day after the day on which they are made.

(2) These Regulations extend to Northern Ireland only.

(3) In these Regulations “the 1986 Regulations” means the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1986(4).

2.  In regulation 66 of the 1986 Regulations (additional requirements for applications in respect of a particular election)–

(a)in paragraph (6)(a)(5) for “eleventh” there shall be substituted “fourteenth”; and

(b)in paragraphs (5)(a) and (7)(a) after “address” there shall be inserted “, that he has seen the applicant in connection with the circumstances set out in paragraph (1) above”.

3.  In regulation 69(1), (2) and (5) of the 1986 Regulations (closing dates for applications)(6) for “eleventh” there shall be substituted “fourteenth”.

4.  In regulation 78 of the 1986 Regulations (form of declaration of identity) for “Form E” there shall be substituted “Form H”.

Marjorie Mowlam
One of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State
Northern Ireland Office
18th November 1998

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1986 and extend to Northern Ireland only. The Regulations amended provide for absent voting applications for parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland and are applied for the purposes of European Parliamentary elections there.
Regulation 69 of those Regulations sets out the time by which applications relating to absent voting must be received by the registration officer in order to be effective at a particular election. Regulation 3 of these Regulations brings forward the deadline for most such applications from 5 p.m. on the eleventh working day before the day of the poll to 5 p.m. on the fourteenth working day. Regulation 2(a) makes a consequential amendment.
Paragraphs (4) to (7) of regulation 66 of the 1986 Regulations concern applications for an absent vote at a particular election which are made on grounds relating to health. Regulation 2(b) of these Regulations requires the person attesting such an application to state that he has seen the applicant in connection with the circumstances relating to the applicant’s health on which the application is based.
Regulation 4 of these Regulations corrects a minor error.


(1)
Sections 53 and 201(1) have been amended but the amendments are not relevant in the context of these Regulations.

(2)
1983 c. 2; paragraph 5A was inserted by paragraph 8 of Schedule 2 to the Representation of the People Act 1985.

(3)
1985 c. 50.

(4)
S.I. 1986/1091.

(5)
Paragraphs (6) to (8) of regulation 66 were inserted by S.I. 1990/561 and paragraph (6)(a) was amended by S.I. 1997/967.

(6)
Regulation 69 was amended, so far as material, by S.I. 1997/967.