Forwarding of documents
31.—(1) The constituency returning officer shall forward to the relevant registration officer at the same time as he forwards the documents mentioned in rule 67 of Schedule 5—
(a)any packets referred to in paragraphs 12, 14(7), 15(5), 20(11) and 29, subject to paragraph 30, endorsing on each packet a description of its contents, the date of the election to which it relates and the name of the constituency or electoral area for which the election (or elections) was (or were) held; and
(b)a completed statement in the form CD “Statement as to postal ballot papers” set out in English and Welsh in Schedule 10, of the number of postal ballot papers issued.
(2) Where—
(a)any covering envelopes are received by the constituency returning officer after the close of the poll (apart from those delivered in accordance with rule 55(7) of Schedule 5);
(b)any envelopes addressed to postal voters are returned as undelivered too late to be readdressed; or
(c)any spoilt postal ballot papers are returned too late to enable other postal ballot papers to be issued,
the constituency returning officer shall put them unopened in a separate packet, seal up such packet and endorse and forward it at a subsequent date in the manner described in sub-paragraph (1).
(3) Rules 68 and 69 of Schedule 5 shall apply to any packet or document forwarded under this paragraph.
(4) A copy of the statement referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(b) shall be provided by the constituency returning officer to the Commission in the period which starts 10 days after the day of the poll and ends 15 days after that day.