The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008

Procedure for determining applications for registration and objections without a hearing

30.—(1) The registration officer shall discharge his functions of determining an application for registration under section 10A(1)(a) or 13A(1)(a) of the 1983 Act and an objection under section 10A(3) of that Act in accordance with this regulation and regulations 31 to 33.

(2) The registration officer must keep separate lists of—

(a) applications for registration;

(b) objections made before the person against whom the objection is made is entered in the register;

(c) objections made after the person against whom the objection is made is entered in the register.

(3) On receipt of an application the registration officer must enter the name of the applicant and the address claimed as his qualifying address in the list he keeps in pursuance of paragraph (2)(a).

(4) On receipt of an objection made before the person against whom the objection is made is entered in the register, the registration officer must enter—

(a) in the list he keeps in pursuance of paragraph (2)(b), the name and qualifying address of the objector together with the particulars referred to in paragraph (3); and

(b) in the list he keeps in pursuance of paragraph (2)(a), the particulars of the objection.

(5) On receipt of any other objection, the registration officer must enter the name and qualifying address of the objector together with the particulars referred to in paragraph (3) in the list he keeps in pursuance of paragraph (2)(c).

(6) The registration officer may ask for further information and take no further action until such information is supplied, if he is of the opinion that the particulars given in the application or objection are insufficient.

(7) The registration officer may allow an application without a hearing provided that no objection is made within five days beginning with the day following the entry of the application in the list of applications.

(8) The registration officer may disallow an objection if he is of opinion that the objector is not entitled to object and he shall so inform the objector.

(9) The registration officer may disallow an objection without a hearing if he is of the opinion that the objection is clearly without merit.

(10) Where the registration officer disallows an objection under paragraph (9), he must send to the objector a notice stating that the objection has been disallowed on that basis and the grounds for his opinion.

(11) An objector may require the objection to be heard by giving notice to the registration officer within three days from the date of the notice given under paragraph (10).

(12) A notification under paragraph (11) is not to prevent the application to which the objection relates from being allowed.

(13) The registration officer may send to the applicant or objector a notice stating his opinion that an application or objection cannot be allowed because—

(a) the matter has been concluded by the decision of a court, or

(b) the particulars given in the application or objection do not entitle the applicant or objector to succeed.

(14) In cases to which paragraph (13) applies, the registration officer shall state the grounds for his opinion and that he intends to disallow the application or objection unless that person gives the registration officer notice within three days from the date of the registration officer’s notice that he requires the application or objection to be heard; and if he receives no such notice within that time, he may disallow the application or objection.

(15) In this regulation “qualifying address” includes the address specified in an overseas elector’s declaration in accordance with section 2(4)(b) or (c)(ii) of the 1985 Act(1).

(1)

Section 2 was substituted by paragraph 3 of Schedule 2 to the 2000 Act (c.2).