The Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers' Charges) Order 1997

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers' Charges) Order 1997 and shall come into force on 8th April 1997.

(2) This Order shall not extend to Northern Ireland.

(3) The Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers' Charges) Order 1994(1) is hereby revoked.

2.—(1) For the purposes of paragraph (a) of section 29(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (which provides that a returning officer is entitled to recover his charges in respect of services properly rendered or expenses properly incurred for or in connection with a parliamentary election if the services or expenses are of a kind specified in an order made under that provision and the charges are reasonable)—

(a) services of a kind described in paragraphs 1(1) and 2(1) of Part A of the Schedule to this Order (hereafter referred to as “services specified in Part A of the Schedule”); and

(b) expenses of a kind described in paragraphs 1(1), 2(1), 3(1) and 4(1) of Part B of the Schedule to this Order (hereafter referred to as “expenses specified in Part B of the Schedule”) and expenses of a kind described in Part C of the Schedule to this Order,

are hereby specified.

(2) The maximum recoverable amounts at a contested election in respect of the services specified in Part A of the Schedule or the expenses specified in Part B of the Schedule are hereby specified as the amounts set out in the right-hand column of those Parts in respect of each entry set out opposite thereto in the left-hand column of those Parts.

(3) The maximum recoverable amounts at an uncontested election are hereby specified as—

(a) £368.66 in respect of the services specified in Part A of the Schedule, and

(b) £912.52 in respect of the expenses specified in Part B of the Schedule.

(4) In the Schedule to this Order—

(a) “election” means a parliamentary election,

(b) “combined polls” refers to the poll at a parliamentary election and the poll at some other election when they are taken together under section 15(1) or (2) of the Representation of the People Act 1985(2), and

(c) any reference to the register of electors is to the register of electors used at the election at which the services were rendered or expenses incurred and to that register as first published.

Tom Sackville

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Home Office

18th March 1997

We consent to this Order

Richard Ottaway

Roger Knapman

Two of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury

19th March 1997