(1)Schedule 2 to the Representation of the People Act 1983 (provisions which may be contained in regulations as to registration etc) is amended as follows.
(2)In paragraph 1, after sub-paragraph (2) insert—
“(2A)Provision made under sub-paragraph (2) authorising or requiring a registration officer in Great Britain to—
(a)require a person who has made an application under section 10ZC or 10ZD to provide evidence that he or she is the person named in the application, or
(b)require a person who has made an application under section 10ZC or 10ZD, or any person who has an entry in a register, to provide evidence for the purpose of enabling the officer to determine whether a person is entitled to be registered in a register maintained by the officer,
must specify the kind of evidence that a person may be required to provide (for examples, see paragraph 3ZA(5)).
(2B)Provision of the kind mentioned in sub-paragraph (2A) may authorise or require the registration officer to require a person to provide the evidence to a registration officer or to some other prescribed person (or person of a prescribed description).”
(3)After paragraph 3 insert—
“3ZA(1)Provision about applications under section 10ZC or 10ZD, including in particular provision about—
(a)the form and contents of applications and of any declarations to be made in connection with them;
(b)the manner in which applications are to be made.
(2)Provision made under sub-paragraph (1) may include provision—
(a)conferring functions on registration officers, or local or public authorities, to enable applications to be made in a particular manner;
(b)conferring other functions on registration officers;
(c)conferring functions on the Electoral Commission.
(3)Provision requiring a person making an application under section 10ZC or 10ZD—
(a)to provide evidence that he or she is the person named in the application;
(b)to provide evidence of entitlement to be registered.
(4)Provision made under sub-paragraph (3) must specify the kind of evidence that a person is required to provide.
(5)Examples of the evidence that may be specified include a person's date of birth or national insurance number.
(6)Provision made under sub-paragraph (3) may require a person to provide the evidence to a registration officer or to some other prescribed person (or person of a prescribed description).”
(4)After paragraph 8A insert—
“8B(1)Provision authorising or requiring a registration officer in determining an application under section 10ZC or 10ZD, in prescribed cases, to treat a prescribed person's statement of a fact as sufficient evidence of that fact.
(2)In sub-paragraph (1) “prescribed” includes of a prescribed description.”
(5)In section 201 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (regulations), before subsection (3) insert—
“(2C)Regulations made for the purposes only of omitting a particular kind of evidence from the kinds of evidence that a person is or may be required to provide by virtue of regulations under paragraph 1(2A) or 3ZA(3) of Schedule 2 shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament (and subsection (2) does not apply to regulations made for those purposes only).”
(6)Schedule 2 to this Act contains amendments related to this section.
Commencement Information
I1S. 2(1)-(5) in force at 10.6.2014 for E.W. and 19.9.2014 for S. by S.I. 2014/414, art. 5(b)
I2S. 2(1)-(5) in force at 15.9.2014 for N.I. by S.I. 2014/2439, art. 2(b)
I3S. 2(6) in force at 5.2.2013 by S.I. 2013/219, art. 2(a)