Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2014 and come into force 14 days after the day on which they are made.

Amendments to the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001

2.  The Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001(5) are amended in accordance with regulations 3 to 7.

3.  In regulation 15 (contents of service declaration)-

(a)in paragraph (3)-

(i)omit "and" at the end of sub-paragraph (a), and

(ii)at the end of sub-paragraph (b) insert-

", and

(c)any staff number, payroll number or other similar identifying number of that servant.";

(b)in paragraph (4), for "state a description of the post of that employee" substitute-

"state-

(a)a description of the post of that employee, and

(b)any staff number, payroll number or other similar identifying number of that employee".

4.  For regulation 16 (transmission of service declaration) substitute-

"Transmission of service declaration

16.  A service declaration-

(a)must be transmitted to the registration officer for the area within which is situated the address specified in the declaration in accordance with section 16(d) of the 1983 Act; and

(b)may be transmitted through the digital service."

5.  In regulation 25 (reminders to electors registered pursuant to a declaration)-

(a)after paragraph (3) insert-

"(3A) Subject to paragraph (4) below, the registration officer must send a second reminder not less than 21 nor more than 28 days after the date of the sending of the first reminder.";

(b)in paragraph (4), for "Paragraph (2) above does" substitute "Paragraphs (2) and (3A) above do".

6.  In regulation 32 (registration appeals), for paragraph (1) substitute-

"(1) This regulation makes provision in connection with the right of appeal under section 56(1)(a), (aza), (azb), (azc), (azd), (aa) and (ab) of the 1983 Act(6)."

7.  After regulation 35 (registration officer's right to inspect certain records) insert-

"Disclosure of certain local authorities' records

35A.  (1)  The council by which a registration officer was appointed may disclose to that registration officer information contained in records held by that council, for any of the purposes mentioned in paragraph 1A(1) of Schedule 2 to the 1983 Act.

(2) A disclosure under paragraph (1) may be made only in accordance with a written agreement between the council and the registration officer regulating the processing of the information, including its transfer, storage, destruction and security.

(3) Where a council refuses a request by a registration officer to disclose information under paragraph (1) it must give the registration officer written reasons for its refusal."

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/497). Regulations 3 and 4 provide that the declaration made by a Crown servant or British Council employee working abroad, when that person applies to be registered in an electoral register, no longer has to be sent via their employer. However, there is to be an additional requirement to include their staff number in the declaration. A declaration may now be made on-line.

Regulation 5 requires electoral registration officers, where necessary, to send a second reminder to people, such as overseas electors, who are registered by virtue of a declaration, that their declaration is about to expire.

Regulation 6 updates statutory references in the regulation about registration appeals.

Regulation 7 authorises the council which appointed a registration officer to disclose information to that officer for certain registration purposes.

An overall impact assessment in relation to the individual electoral registration scheme is available on the Cabinet Office website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/individual-electoral-registration-impact-assessment.