The Scottish Independence Referendum (Chief Counting Officer and Counting Officer Charges and Expenses) Order 2014

Scottish Statutory Instruments

2014 No. 101

Representation Of The People

The Scottish Independence Referendum (Chief Counting Officer and Counting Officer Charges and Expenses) Order 2014

Made

2nd April 2014

Laid before the Scottish Parliament

4th April 2014

Coming into force

5th May 2014

The Scottish Ministers make the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 9(3) and (4) of the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013(1).

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Scottish Independence Referendum (Chief Counting Officer and Counting Officer Charges and Expenses) Order 2014 and comes into force on 5th May 2014.

Interpretation

2.  In this Order “the referendum” means the referendum on a question about the independence of Scotland provided for by the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013.

Chief Counting Officer: overall maximum recoverable amount

3.  The overall maximum amount recoverable by the Chief Counting Officer in respect of the referendum is £350,000.

Chief Counting Officer: maximum recoverable amount for specified services

4.—(1) The total of the charges recoverable by the Chief Counting Officer in respect of the specified services for the referendum cannot exceed £25,000.

(2) The specified services are making arrangements for the referendum and discharging the Chief Counting Officer’s duties at the referendum.

Chief Counting Officer: maximum recoverable amount for specified expenses

5.—(1) The total of the expenses recoverable by the Chief Counting Officer in respect of the specified expenses for the referendum cannot exceed £325,000.

(2) The specified expenses are costs associated with—

(a) the making and management of arrangements for the referendum, including the appointment and payment of persons to assist the Chief Counting Officer;

(b) printing, producing and disseminating directions, guidance and forms to counting officers;

(c) the collation of the result of the referendum for the whole of Scotland; and

(d) communications relating to the referendum and its result.

Counting officers: overall maximum recoverable amount

6.  The overall maximum amount recoverable by a counting officer in respect of the referendum for each local government area is the amount listed in column 4 of the table in the Schedule to this Order.

Counting officers: maximum recoverable amount for specified services

7.—(1) The total of the charges recoverable by a counting officer in respect of the specified services for the referendum cannot exceed the amount listed for each local government area in column 2 of the table in the Schedule to this Order.

(2) The specified services are making arrangements for and conducting the referendum, and discharging the counting officer’s duties at the referendum.

Counting officers: maximum recoverable amount for specified expenses

8.—(1) The total of the expenses recoverable by a counting officer in respect of the specified expenses for the referendum cannot exceed the amount listed for each local government area in column 3 of the table in the Schedule to this Order.

(2) The specified expenses are—

(a) the appointment and payment of persons to assist the counting officer;

(b) travel and overnight subsistence for the counting officer and any person appointed to assist the counting officer;

(c) printing or otherwise producing the ballot paper;

(d) printing, producing or purchasing stationery to be used for or in connection with postal voting;

(e) printing or otherwise producing and arranging for the delivery of the poll cards required by rule 11 of schedule 3 to the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013;

(f) printing or otherwise producing and, where appropriate, publishing notices, lists and any other documents required for, or in connection with, the referendum;

(g) renting, heating, lighting, cleaning, adapting or restoring any building or room;

(h) providing and transporting equipment;

(i) providing information and communications technology equipment and software and associated costs;

(j) providing security, including any necessary storage of ballot boxes, ballot papers, postal voting statements and documents used to verify personal identifiers on postal voting statements;

(k) conducting the verification of personal identifiers on postal voting statements and the count (including counting and recording the number of ballot papers, counting the votes and any recount);

(l) providing and receiving training; and

(m) providing stationery and meeting postage, telephone, printing, translation and banking costs and the costs of other miscellaneous items.

NICOLA STURGEON

A member of the Scottish Government

St Andrew’s House,

Edinburgh

2nd April 2014

Articles 6, 7 and 8

SCHEDULE Counting officers: maximum recoverable amounts

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
Local government area	Maximum recoverable amount for specified services	Maximum recoverable amount for specified expenses	Overall maximum recoverable amount
	£	£	£
Aberdeen City	8,267	369,080	377,347
Aberdeenshire	9,521	430,220	439,741
Angus	4,227	217,932	222,159
Argyll & Bute	3,248	245,272	248,520
Clackmannanshire	2,500	85,465	87,965
Dumfries & Galloway	5,652	284,552	290,204
Dundee City	5,212	226,147	231,359
East Ayrshire	4,639	197,301	201,940
East Dunbartonshire	3,965	165,291	169,256
East Lothian	3,760	167,265	171,025
East Renfrewshire	3,421	155,855	159,276
Edinburgh (City of)	16,777	720,790	737,567
Eilean Siar	2,500	82,962	85,462
Falkirk	5,536	215,235	220,771
Fife	13,789	614,982	628,771
Glasgow City	22,648	925,123	947,771
Highland	8,821	443,683	452,504
Inverclyde	2,998	126,079	129,077
Midlothian	3,135	130,979	134,114
Moray	3,421	148,114	151,535
North Ayrshire	5,283	212,155	217,438
North Lanarkshire	11,957	488,947	500,904
Orkney Islands	2,500	41,667	44,167
Perth & Kinross	5,414	253,786	259,200
Renfrewshire	6,369	278,990	285,359
Scottish Borders	4,368	223,726	228,094
Shetland Islands	2,500	49,967	52,467
South Ayrshire	4,364	201,925	206,289
South Lanarkshire	11,776	514,858	526,634
Stirling	3,152	137,452	140,604
West Dunbartonshire	3,261	146,999	150,260
West Lothian	6,297	264,573	270,870

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order provides for payments for charges and expenses of the Chief Counting Officer and counting officers in connection with the referendum on Scottish independence to be held on 18 September 2014 under the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013. Under section 9 of that Act the Chief Counting Officer and counting officers are entitled to recover from the Scottish Ministers the charges and expenses they incur in exercising their functions, provided the amounts sought do not exceed such maximum amounts as are specified in this Order.

Articles 3 to 5 make provision in relation to the Chief Counting Officer.

Articles 6 to 8 and the Schedule make provision in relation to counting officers.

(1)

2013 asp 14.