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Representation of the People Bill - continued        House of Lords
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  S C H E D U L E S
 
 

 		  
 
SCHEDULE 1
 
  REGISTRATION: AMENDMENTS OF 1983 ACT
 
Introductory
     1. The 1983 Act is amended as follows.
 
 
Residence
     2. In section 6 (residence: merchant seamen), for "sections 1 and 2 above" substitute "section 4 above".
 
 
Registers of electors
     3. For section 9 substitute-
 
 
"Registers of electors.     9. - (1) Each registration officer shall maintain-
 
    (a) a register of parliamentary electors for each constituency or part of a constituency in the area for which he acts; and
 
    (b) a register of local government electors for the local government areas or parts of local government areas included in the area for which he acts.
      (2) Each register shall contain-
 
 
    (a) the names of the persons appearing to the registration officer to be entitled to be registered in it (subject to their complying with any prescribed requirements);
 
    (b) (subject to any prescribed exceptions) the qualifying addresses of the persons registered in it; and
 
    (c) in relation to each such person, that person's electoral number.
      (3) A person's electoral number is such number (with or without any letters) as is for the time being allocated by the registration officer to that person as his electoral number for the purposes of the register in question.
 
      (4) Electoral numbers shall be allocated by a registration officer in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that in each separate part of a register the numbers run consecutively.
 
      (5) The registers of parliamentary electors and of local government electors shall so far as practicable be combined, the names of persons registered only as parliamentary electors or local government electors being marked to indicate that fact.
 
      (6) A registration officer's duty under subsection (1) above includes the duty to take reasonable steps to obtain information required by him in connection with the performance of his duty under that subsection (without prejudice to any specific requirement of this Act or regulations under it).
 
      (7) Where under this section two or more registration officers maintain registers of parliamentary electors in respect of different parts of the same constituency, then in relation to that constituency any reference in this Act (whether express or implied) to the register of parliamentary electors for a constituency shall be read-
 
 
    (a) as a reference to one of those registers, or
 
    (b) in relation to one of those registration officers, as the register maintained by him,
  as the context may require.
 
      (8) In this Act-
 
 
    (a) any reference, in relation to a registration officer, to "his" registers is a reference to the registers maintained by him under this section; and
 
    (b) "qualifying address", in relation to a person registered in a register of electors, is the address in respect of which he is entitled to be so registered."
 
Maintenance of registers
     4. For section 10 substitute-
 
 
"Maintenance of registers: annual canvass.     10. - (1) Each registration officer shall conduct an annual canvass in relation to the area for which he acts for the purpose of ascertaining the persons who are for the time being entitled to be, or to remain, registered in his registers.
 
    (2) The canvass for any year shall be conducted by reference to residence on 15th October in that year.
 
      (3) A canvass shall not, however, be concerned with-
 
 
    (a) the registration of persons in respect of residence in penal institutions (within the meaning of section 3 above) or mental hospitals (within the meaning of section 7 above) or other places at which persons to whom section 7A above applies may be detained; or
 
    (b) the registration of persons in pursuance of-
 
      (i) declarations of local connection,
 
      (ii) service declarations, or
 
      (iii) overseas electors' declarations.
      (4) The form to be used for the purposes of a canvass shall be either a form prescribed for those purposes or a form to the same effect.
 
      (5) In connection with a canvass a registration officer may, for the purpose of-
 
 
    (a) supplementing the information obtained by the use of any such form, or
 
    (b) where any such form has not been returned, obtaining any information designed to be obtained by the use of the form,
  make such house to house inquiries as he thinks fit.
 
      (6) On the conclusion of a canvass a registration officer shall make such alterations in his registers as fall to be made in accordance with section 10A below as a result of the canvass.
 
      (7) In this section "residence" means residence for the purposes of section 4 above.
 
Maintenance of the registers: registration of electors.     10A. - (1) A registration officer shall determine all applications for registration which are-
 
 
    (a) made to him in accordance with the prescribed requirements, or
 
    (b) treated as made to him by virtue of subsection (2) below.
      (2) Where-
 
 
    (a) in connection with a canvass under section 10 above, the form completed in respect of any address specifies any person as a person who is entitled to be registered in a register, and
 
    (b) that person is not for the time being registered in the register in respect of that address,
  he shall be treated as having made, on the 15th October in the year in question, an application for registration in the register in respect of that address.
 
      (3) A registration officer shall also determine all objections to a person's registration made in accordance with the prescribed requirements by another person whose name appears in the register in question.
 
      (4) Subsections (1) and (3) above apply to applications and objections asking-
 
 
    (a) for the omission, insertion or alteration of a date as that on which a person will become of voting age and entitled to registration, or
 
    (b) for the alteration of the qualifying address in respect of which a person is registered,
  as they apply to applications for registration and objections to a person's registration respectively.
 
      (5) Where the name of a person ("the elector") is duly entered in a register in respect of any address, the elector is entitled to remain registered in the register in respect of that address until such time as the registration officer concerned-
 
 
    (a) determines, on the conclusion of a canvass under section 10 above, that the elector was not resident at that address on the 15th October in question, or that because-
 
      (i) the form mentioned in section 10(4) above was not returned in respect of that address, or
 
      (ii) for any other reason, insufficient information was obtained as to whether the elector was resident at that address on that date,
 
    the registration officer is unable to satisfy himself that the elector was then so resident at that address, or
 
    (b) determines, in any prescribed circumstances, that the elector has ceased to be resident at that address or has otherwise ceased to satisfy the conditions for registration set out in section 4 above.
      (6) Where the entitlement of a person to remain registered in a register in respect of any address terminates by virtue of subsection (5) above, the registration officer concerned shall remove that person's entry from the register once the officer has satisfied any prescribed requirements applying in relation to the removal of that entry.
 
      (7) Subsection (6) above does not apply if, or to the extent that, regulations so provide in relation to any prescribed circumstances; and regulations may, in particular, authorise a registration officer to retain entries in his registers for the prescribed period if he thinks fit in cases where the form mentioned in section 10(4) above has not been returned in respect of any address.
 
      (8) Nothing in subsection (5) or (6) applies in relation to the registration of persons in pursuance of-
 
 
    (a) applications for registration made by virtue of section 7(2) or 7A(2) above; or
 
    (b) declarations falling within section 10(3)(b) above.
      (9) In this section-
 
 
    "determines" means determines in accordance with regulations;
 
    "resident" means resident for the purposes of section 4 above."
     5. Omit - (a) section 11 (correction of registers), and
 
      (b) section 12(1), (2) and (5) (right to be registered).
 
 
Publication of registers
     6. For section 13 substitute-
 
 
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