5.—(1) Without prejudice to the provisions of section 6A, 6B, 6C, or 6D of the 2000 Political Parties Act, no person may be present at the proceedings on the receipt of postal ballot papers other than—
(a)the CRO and members of the CRO’s staff;
(b)a candidate for return as a constituency member or an election agent of such a candidate or any person appointed by a candidate to attend in the election agent’s place;
(c)except in the case of an election to fill a vacancy in the seat of a constituency member—
(i)the RRO;
(ii)an individual candidate for return as a regional member or the candidate’s election agent or any person appointed by the candidate to attend in the election agent’s place;
(iii)the election agent for a registered party standing nominated or the nominating officer of that party or any person authorised by that officer to attend in the nominating officer’s place; and
(d)an agent appointed under sub-paragraph (3).
(2) The CRO shall be the relevant officer for the purposes of section 6E of the 2000 Political Parties Act.
(3) Each—
(a)candidate for return as a constituency member; and
(b)except in the case of an election to fill a vacancy in the seat of a constituency member, individual candidate for return as a regional member and each election agent for a registered party standing nominated,
may appoint one or more agents up to the number authorised by the CRO to appoint, so, however, that the number authorised should be the same in the case of each candidate or, as the case may be, election agent for a registered party standing nominated.
(4) Notice of the appointment stating the names and addresses of the persons appointed shall be given by the candidate or election agent to the CRO before the time fixed for the opening of the postal voters’ ballot boxes.
(5) If a notice of appointment under sub-paragraph (4) states more names than are authorised by the CRO under sub-paragraph (3), the CRO must, after consulting the candidate or election agent who submitted the notice, determine which of the persons named (being the number of agents so authorised) are to be taken as having been appointed.
(6) Where postal ballot papers for more than one election are issued together under paragraph 2, the CRO to whom notice must be given under sub-paragraph (4) and sub-paragraphs (7) and (8) is the returning officer who issues the postal ballot papers.
(7) If an agent dies or becomes incapable of acting, the candidate or election agent may appoint another agent in that agent’s place and shall forthwith give to the CRO notice in writing of the name and address of the agent appointed.
(8) Agents may be appointed and notice of appointment given to the CRO by a candidate’s election agent instead of by the candidate.
(9) In this Schedule references to agents shall be taken as references to agents whose appointments have been duly made and notified and, in the case of agents appointed under sub-paragraph (3), who are within the number authorised by the CRO.
(10) Any of the following persons, namely—
(a)a candidate for return as a constituency member;
(b)an individual candidate for return as a regional member;
(c)the election agent of a registered party standing nominated,
may do any act or thing which any of that person’s agents, if appointed, would have been authorised to do, or may assist such an agent in doing any such act or thing.
(11) Where in this Schedule any act or thing is required or authorised to be done in the presence of the candidates or their agents, the non-attendance of any such person at the time and place appointed for the purpose shall not, if the act or thing is otherwise duly done, invalidate the act or thing done.