Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order, together with the European Parliamentary Elections (Local Returning Officer’s Charges) Order 1999 provide for payments for services and expenses of returning officers in connection with the conduct of European Parliamentary elections in Great Britain.
Under the European Parliamentary Elections Regulations 1999 (“the European Regulations”) and the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1983 as applied by regulation 3 of, and Schedule 1 to, those Regulations, the functions of a returning officer at a parliamentary election are divided between the returning officer for the electoral region (for whose charges this Order makes provision) and the local returning officer. The latter is responsible for each parliamentary constituency wholly or partly within the electoral region. The returning officer’s functions are principally in connection with the nomination papers and the allocation of seats, but the arrangements for printing the ballot papers may be made either by him or by the local returning officer.
Under section 29(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as substituted by the Representation of the People Act 1991 and applied by the European Regulations) the entitlement of a returning officer at a European Parliamentary election to recover his charges in respect of his services or expenses for or in connection with such an election depends upon–
the services or expenses being of a kind specified in an order under that provision,
the services being properly rendered and the expenses being properly incurred, and
the charges in respect of them being reasonable.
Part A of the Schedule to this Order specifies the services rendered by a returning officer for or in connection with a European Parliamentary election as an item in respect of which he is entitled to recover his charges, together with the maximum recoverable amounts in respect of those services. A new item is included (paragraph 2) to reflect the additional responsibilities in respect of a new system of election. Parts B and C of the Schedule specify the kinds of expenses incurred by a returning officer for or in connection with a European Parliamentary election in respect of which he is entitled to recover his charges, together (in the case of Part B) with the maximum recoverable amounts in respect of those charges.