House of Commons Amendments

Session 2013 - 14
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

1345

House of Commons

Friday 29 November 2013

Consideration of Bill

European Union (Referendum) Bill

Mike Gapes

35

Clause  1,  page  1,  leave out lines 8 and 9 and insert ‘Should the United Kingdom remain

a member of the European Union?’.

Mike Gapes

36

Clause  1,  page  1,  leave out lines 8 and 9 and insert ‘Should the United Kingdom remain

a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?’.

Mike Gapes

37

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  10,  leave out ‘version’ and insert ‘translation’.

Mike Gapes

38

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  11,  after ‘order’, insert ‘after consultation with the National

Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government.’.

Mike Gapes

39

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(5A)
In Scotland, a Gaelic translation of the question is also to appear on the ballot

papers, as provided by order, after consultation with the Scottish Parliament and

the Scottish Government.’.

Mike Gapes

40

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘( )
In Northern Ireland, a Gaelic translation of the question is also to appear on the

ballot papers, as provided by order, after consultation with the Northern Ireland

Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive.’.

Mr William Bain

71

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  12,  leave out subsection (6) and insert—

‘(6)
An order under this section shall be made by statutory instrument.

Consideration of Bill: 29 November 2013
1346

European Union (Referendum) Bill, continued

(7)
An order under subsection (3) may not be made unless each House of Parliament

has passed a resolution that the referendum shall take place on a day specified in

the resolution and the day specified in the resolution is the same as in the order.

(8)
An order under subsection (5) may not be made unless a draft of the order has

been laid before, and approved by, a resolution of each House of Parliament.’.

Mike Gapes

41

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  12,  leave out ‘shall’ and insert ‘may’.

Mike Gapes

9

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  14,  at end add—

‘(7)
The referendum shall be held on Thursday.’.

Mike Gapes

10

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  14,  at end add—

‘(7)
The referendum shall be held over two days on a Saturday and Sunday.’.

Mike Gapes

11

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  14,  at end add—

‘(7)
The referendum shall be held over three days on a Thursday, Friday and

Saturday.’.

Mike Gapes

14

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  14,  at end add—

‘(7)
No date shall be set for the referendum until there is in place a secure system of

voting by text message or by SMS.’.

Mike Gapes

15

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  14,  at end add—

‘(7)
Voting in the referendum shall be possible in person, by post, by proxy, by email,

by text message or by SMS.’.

Mike Gapes

19

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  14,  at end add—

‘(7)
Prior to the holding of any referendum the Secretary of State shall establish a

Public Judicial Inquiry into the merits of UK membership of the European Union

which shall publish its report within six months, unless the Secretary of State

otherwise directs.’.

Consideration of Bill: 29 November 2013
1347

European Union (Referendum) Bill, continued

James Wharton

Mike Gapes

Andrew Rosindell

42

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  18,  leave out ‘and’.

Mike Gapes

43

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  18,  at end insert—

‘(aa)
persons who have right of abode in the United Kingdom.’.

Mike Gapes

45

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  18,  at end insert—

‘(aa)
persons who would be entitled to vote as electors in a European

Parliament election.’.

Mike Gapes

46

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  18,  at end insert—

‘(aa)
all persons who are legally entitled to vote as electors at a local

government election.’.

Mike Gapes

47

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  18,  at end insert—

‘(aa)
all British citizens resident in any of the member states of the European

Union.’.

Mike Gapes

48

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  19,  after ‘peers’, insert ‘or prisoners’.

Mike Gapes

8

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  20,  at end add—

‘(c)
British citizens, regardless of where they are resident, who have

registered to vote with a British Embassy or High Commission or with

the local authority where they last lived in the United Kingdom not less

than six months before the date of the referendum, and the statutory

provisions relating to overseas voters shall be disapplied for the purposes

of this section.’.

Mike Gapes

44

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  20,  at end insert—

‘(2)
Persons aged 16 or 17 on the date of the referendum shall be entitled to vote if

they would, save for their age, be otherwise entitled to vote under any of the

categories set out in subsection (1) above.’.

Consideration of Bill: 29 November 2013
1348

European Union (Referendum) Bill, continued

Mike Gapes

49

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  20,  at end insert—

‘(c)
citizens of the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta resident in the

United Kingdom shall not be entitled to vote.’.

Mike Gapes

50

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  20,  at end insert—

‘(c)
residents of all Crown Dependencies.’.

Mike Gapes

51

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  20,  at end insert—

‘(c)
residents of all British Overseas Territories.’.

Mr Gareth Thomas

63

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  20,  at end add—

‘(2)
Provision will be made for all electors included in the Gibraltar register as defined

in Schedule 1 to the Government of Gibraltar’s European Parliamentary Elections

Act 2004 to vote in Gibraltar in person or by post.’.

Mr William Bain

69

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  20,  at end add—

‘(c)
persons who are citizens of British Overseas Territories.’.

James Wharton

Andrew Rosindell

80

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  20,  at end insert ‘and

( )
Commonwealth citizens who, on the date of the referendum, would be entitled to

vote in Gibraltar as electors at a European Parliamentary election in the combined

electoral region in which Gibraltar is comprised.’.

Mike Gapes

52

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  2,  after ‘report’, insert ‘by 1 March 2015’.

Mike Gapes

53

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  2,  after ‘report’, insert ‘by 1 March 2016’.

Mike Gapes

54

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  2,  after ‘report’, insert ‘by 1 March 2017’.

Consideration of Bill: 29 November 2013
1349

European Union (Referendum) Bill, continued

Mike Gapes

55

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  2,  after ‘report’, insert ‘six months before the date or dates

appointed for the referendum’.

Mike Gapes

17

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  5,  at end insert—

‘(1A)
The rules recommended by the Electoral Commission shall provide that if—

(a)
fewer than 60 per cent of registered voters take part in the referendum, or

(b)
the majority in favour of not remaining in the European Union comprises

fewer than 40 per cent of registered voters, or

(c)
the result is not the same in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern

Ireland, or

(d)
the result is not the same in each of the European Parliament

constituencies in the United Kingdom,


the Chief Counting Officer shall declare that the referendum has not produced a

valid outcome.’.

Mike Gapes

56

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  6,  leave out ‘shall’ and insert ‘may’.

Mike Gapes

5

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
The Secretary of State shall make available a sum of not more than £10 million

to organisations campaigning—

(a)
for a Yes vote in the referendum, and

(b)
for a No vote in the referendum, for provision of public information and

literature, to be divided equally between those campaigning for each

answer to the referendum question.’.

Mike Gapes

6

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
The Secretary of State shall ensure that the proponents and opponents of the

question in the referendum shall be allotted no fewer than six nor more than 10

broadcasts of a total time of at least 60 minutes on all television channels

broadcasting to the United Kingdom, at such times as are determined by the

Electoral Commission so as to ensure that so far as possible they are broadcast

simultaneously, and with Welsh language and Gaelic versions as directed by the

Secretary of State in relation to particular channels.’.

Mike Gapes

7

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
The Secretary of State shall ensure that the proponents and opponents of the

question in the referendum are able to publish a two full page advertisement

spread immediately after the front page in all national editions of newspapers

published in any part of the United Kingdom, as specified by the Electoral

Commission, on four dates to be specified by the Commission, with Welsh

language and Gaelic versions where specified by the Commission.’.

Consideration of Bill: 29 November 2013
1350

European Union (Referendum) Bill, continued

Mike Gapes

16

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
Polling stations are to be open from 6 am to midnight on each designated day or

days for the referendum.’.

Mike Gapes

60

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
The Secretary of State shall establish a European Union Referendum

Commission to consider the conduct of the referendum.

(3B)
The Commission shall report to the Secretary of State within 12 months of its

establishment.

(3C)
The Secretary of State shall by order provide for the conduct of the referendum

to be implemented as recommended by the Commission.’.

Mike Gapes

61

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
The Secretary of State shall consult with and seek to secure agreement from the

devolved administrations on the conduct of the referendum within the relevant

part of the United Kingdom.’.

Mr Gareth Thomas

64

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end add—

‘(3A)
Results for the referendum will be published for European parliamentary

constituencies, except that Gibraltar’s shall be published separately from the rest

of the South West return.’.

Martin Horwood

65

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
Persons who are resident in part of the United Kingdom that has voted to leave

the United Kingdom or that has formed an independent country, or that is in the

process of negotiating such independence or holding a referendum on

independence will have their votes counted separately and be subject to a separate

declaration.’.

Chris Williamson

85

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3A)
Those entitled to vote in the referendum who do not without reasonable excuse

cast their vote shall pay a penalty of £50.’.

Mike Gapes

57

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  12,  leave out ‘shall’ and insert ‘may’.

Consideration of Bill: 29 November 2013
1351

European Union (Referendum) Bill, continued

Martin Horwood

67

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  14,  at end insert—

‘(1)
The European Union Act 2011 is amended as follows.

(2)
Leave out section 2(2) and insert—

“2  (2)
The referendum condition is that—

(a)
the Act providing for the approval of the treaty provides that

the provision approving the treaty is not to come into force

until an in or out referendum on the UK’s entire membership

of the European Union, as defined in the European Union

(Referendum) Bill 2013, is held throughout the United

Kingdom, or where the treaty also affects Gibraltar,

throughout the UK and Gibraltar,

(b)
the referendum has been held, and

(c)
the majority of those voting in the referendum are in favour of

continued membership of the European Union.”.’.

Mr Gareth Thomas

84

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  14,  at end insert—

‘(5)
The Electoral Commission shall undertake a review of the conduct of the

referendum and shall publish a report setting out the conclusions of the review no

more than 12 months after the day or days on which the referendum is held.’.

James Wharton

Andrew Rosindell

81

Clause  5,  page  2,  line  21,  at beginning insert—

‘( )
This Act extends to—

(a)
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; and

(b)
Gibraltar.’.

New Schedules

Chris Williamson

NS1

To move the following Schedule:—

‘Speaker’s Committee for the referendum on the United Kingdom’s

membership of the European Union

    ( )
There is to be a committee known as the Speaker’s Committee for the

Referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union

(“the Committee”) to consider the day to be appointed for the referendum.



© Parliamentary copyright	Revised 29 November 2013