The European Parliamentary Elections Regulations 2004

PART 5 E+W+S MISCELLANEOUS

[F1 Translations etc. of certain documents E+W+S

122A.— (1) Paragraphs (2) and (3) apply to any document which by virtue of these Regulations is required or authorised to be given to voters or displayed in any place for the purposes of a European Parliamentary election.

(2) The person who is required or authorised to give or display the document must, as he thinks appropriate, give or display or otherwise make available in such form as he thinks appropriate—

(a) the document in Braille;

(b) the document in languages other than English;

(c) graphical representations of the information contained in the document;

(d) other means of making the information contained in the document accessible to persons who might not otherwise have reasonable access to the information.

(3) The person required or authorised to give or display the document must also, as he thinks appropriate, make available the information contained in the document in such audible form as he thinks appropriate.

(4) Paragraphs (2) and (3) do not apply to—

(a) the nomination paper; and

(b) the ballot paper.

(5) The local returning officer at a European Parliamentary election must cause to be displayed at every polling station in the election an enlarged sample copy of the ballot paper in accordance with rule 32(5)(a) of the European Parliamentary elections rules.

(6) The sample copy mentioned in paragraph (5) —

(a) must have printed the words “[F2 Vote only once by putting a cross [X] in the box next to your choice]” at the top; and

(b) may include a translation of those words into such other languages as the local returning officer thinks appropriate.

(7) The local returning officer at a European Parliamentary election must provide at every polling station in the election an enlarged hand-held sample copy of the ballot paper for the assistance of voters who are partially sighted.

(8) The sample copy mentioned in paragraph (7) must be clearly marked as a specimen provided only for the guidance of voters. ]

Textual Amendments

F1 Reg. 122A inserted (30.1.2009) by The European Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/186), regs. 1(2), 38

F2 Words in reg. 122A(6)(a) substituted (4.4.2014) by The European Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/923), regs. 1(2), 3

Public notices and declarations E+W+S

123.—(1) A public notice required by or under these Regulations to be given by a returning officer for a European Parliamentary election shall be given by posting the notice in some conspicuous place or places in the electoral region and may also be given in such other manner as he thinks desirable for publicising it.

(2) A public notice required by or under these Regulations to be given by a local returning officer shall be given by posting the notice in some conspicuous place or places in the local counting area and may also be given in such other manner as he thinks fit.

(3) Any person before whom a declaration is authorised to be made under these Regulations may take the declaration.

(4) In the application of paragraph (1) to the combined region, the notice shall be given by posting it in some conspicuous place or places in that part of the combined region which is in the United Kingdom and in some conspicuous place or places in that part which is in Gibraltar.

Remuneration for free postal services provided under the Regulations E+W+S

124.—(1) This regulation applies where any postal services are provided without charge by a universal service provider in pursuance of these Regulations.

(2) The universal service provider shall be entitled to be remunerated for having provided the services—

(a) at the rate fixed in relation to them by virtue of a scheme under section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000; or

(b) in the case of any postal communication sent to a place or an elector in the combined region in pursuance of regulation 63 for which there is no such scheme for those services, at a rate fixed in relation to those services in accordance with paragraph (3).

(3) The rate referred to in paragraph (2)(b) must correspond substantially to the rate fixed in relation to the provision of services in pursuance of regulation 63 which would apply by virtue of a scheme under section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000 if the whole of the combined region were in England, except that it may include an element for additional expenses associated with providing such services in the combined region.

(4) A sum which a universal service provider is entitled to receive by virtue of this regulation shall be charged on, and issued out of, the Consolidated Fund.

(5) In this regulation “postal services” and “universal service provider” have the same meanings as in [F3 Part 3 of the Postal Services Act 2011].

Textual Amendments

F3 Words in reg. 124(5) substituted (1.10.2011) by The Postal Services Act 2011 (Consequential Modifications and Amendments) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/2085), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 60(5)

Application of Local Government Finance Act 1988 for European Parliamentary Elections E+W+S

125.  Section 65(6) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 M1 (hereditaments to be treated as unoccupied notwithstanding use for election purposes) shall apply in relation to a European Parliamentary election as it applies in relation to a parliamentary election and as though the reference in section 65(6) to a person’s candidature included a reference to a registered party's; and as though the reference to a returning officer was a reference to a local returning officer.

Marginal Citations

M1 1988 c. 41.

[F4 Requirement to provide information about candidate standing in other Member State E+W+S

125A.— (1) This regulation applies when the Secretary of State receives a notice from another Member State in accordance with Article 6 of Council Directive 93/109/EC that a person who falls to be treated as a national of the United Kingdom for the purposes of the EU treaties has made a declaration in that Member State under Article 10 of that Directive.

(2) The Secretary of State must, within the period specified in paragraph (3), provide the Member State with any information that is available to the Secretary of State as to whether the person has been deprived of the right to stand as a candidate at European Parliamentary elections through a relevant disqualifying decision in the United Kingdom.

(3) The period referred to in paragraph (2) is five days calculated in accordance with rule 2 of Schedule 1 and beginning with the day the notice is received by the Secretary of State, or such shorter period as is requested by the Member State if it is possible for the Secretary of State to provide the information within that period.]

Textual Amendments

F4 Reg. 125A inserted (1.1.2014) by The European Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/2876), regs. 1(2), 17

Revocation E+W+S

126.  The European Parliamentary Elections Regulations 1999 M2 are hereby revoked.

Marginal Citations

M2 S.I. 1999/1214.