{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-northern-ireland-elections-combined-polls-2027-regulations-2026/regulation-31",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-northern-ireland-elections-combined-polls-2027-regulations-2026/regulation-31.json",
  "legislation": "ukdsi/2026/9780348288179",
  "legislation_title": "The Northern Ireland Elections (Combined Polls 2027) Regulations 2026",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-northern-ireland-elections-combined-polls-2027-regulations-2026",
  "path": "regulation/31",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "31",
  "heading": "Retention of documents by the returning officer",
  "text": "(1) The returning officer must ensure that a packet containing a relevant combined document is endorsed with the date of the relevant elections, the name of the constituency for which the relevant Assembly election was held and the name of the district electoral area for which the relevant local election was held.\n(2) Part 6 of the LER is, in respect of the relevant local election, to be read as if—\n(a) rule 58(3) instead required that any document or packet of documents referred to in rule 58(1)(b) to (e) be retained by the returning officer;\n(b) in so far as rule 59 applies in relation to the completed corresponding number lists or certificates as to employment on duty on the day of the poll, references in that rule to the proper officer of the council were instead to the returning officer;\n(c) rule 60(1) also applied to the returning officer in respect of the documents retained by them in accordance with the modifications made by these Regulations.\n(3) In respect of the relevant local election, paragraph 19(1) to (2A) of Part 3 of Schedule 2 to the 1985 Order is to be read as if any requirement imposed on the returning officer to forward a document or a packet of documents to the proper officer of the relevant council was instead a requirement to retain the document or packet (and paragraph 19(3) and (4) is to be read accordingly).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Section 33 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (c. 47) requires that 5 members of the Assembly be returned for each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Article 5 of S.I. 1985/454 requires a separate election for each district electoral area. S.I. 2014/270 makes provision about district electoral areas."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "Rule 58(1)(e) was amended by paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 to the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 (c. 33)."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f4",
      "text": "Rule 60(1) was amended by S.I. 2010/2977."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f5",
      "text": "Paragraph 19(2A) was inserted by S.I. 2024/382."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f6",
      "text": "Paragraph 19(4) was inserted by S.I. 2024/382."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348288179/regulation/31",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:30:41.261110+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}