The Registration of Political Parties (Prohibited Words and Expressions) (Amendment) Order 2006
S.I. 2006/3252 · Made 6 December 2006
Registration of political Parties
Made 6th December 2006
Laid before Parliament 7th December 2006
Coming into force 1st January 2007
This Order is made in exercise of the powers conferred by section 28A(2)(g) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000f1.
The Secretary of State has consulted the Electoral Commission about this Order in accordance with section 28A(7) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
Accordingly, the Secretary of State makes the following Order:
Annotations to the whole text
Footnotes
- f1
-
2000 c. 41; section 28A was inserted by section 49(1) of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22).
Contents
1Citation and Commencement
This Order may be cited as the Registration of Political Parties (Prohibited Words and Expressions) (Amendment) Order 2006 and shall come into force on 1 January 2007.
2Amendments
The Registration of Political Parties (Prohibited Words and Expressions) Order 2001f1 is amended as follows.
In article 2(1), (2)(b) and (2A)f2 after “registered name” insert “or registered description”.
In article 2(2)(b) after “party” insert “(other than the applicant party)”.
In article 2(2)(c)(ii) for “Part, or” substitute “Part;”.
In article 2(2)(c)(iii) after ““party”;” insert “or”.
In article 2, after paragraph (2)(c)(iii) insert—
“(iv)the registered description of a registered party;”.
In article 2(3)(b)(i)—
after “applicant party”, where it first appears, insert “or a description”; and
after “application under” insert “section 28B or”f3.
In article 2(3)(b)(ii) after “applicant party” insert “or a description”.
In the heading to the Schedule after “REGISTERED NAME” insert “OR REGISTERED DESCRIPTION”.
Signature
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State
Bridget Prentice
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Department for Constitutional Affairs
Date 6th December 2006
Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order amends the Registration of Political Parties (Prohibited Words and Expressions) Order 2001(S.I. 2001/82) (“the 2001 Order”) in order to apply the 2001 Order to party descriptions.
The Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22) amended the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41) by introducing new sections 28A (descriptions) and 28B (joint descriptions) and modifying section 30 (changes to the register).
Section 28A permits a political party to include with its application for registration under section 28, a request for the registration of up to 12 descriptions for use on nomination papers or ballot papers. Section 28B permits two or more parties to register a joint description for use by a candidate standing in the names of both or all of those parties. The restrictions on political party descriptions are set out in section 28A and apply equally to joint descriptions under section 28B. Under those sections, the Electoral Commission is not permitted to register a description that includes any word or expression prohibited by order made by the Secretary of State. Section 28 imposes a similar restriction in respect of permitted political party names. The 2001 Order sets out the words and expressions that may not be registered in respect of a political party’s name. This Order amends the 2001 Order to ensure that words and expressions that are prohibited in relation to a party name are also prohibited in relation to a registered description.