The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (Transitional Provisions) Order 2013

Verification of information in order to confirm entitlement to remain registered

7.—(1) The registration officer must, in relation to each person in article 6, verify the following information for the purposes of that article —

(a) the person’s full name;

(b) the person’s date of birth, where the registration officer has that information;

(c) the person’s address including postcode.

(2) Subject to article 10, the registration officer must disclose the information in paragraph (1) to the Lord President on such date or dates and in such a format and through such a conduit system as the Lord President may have notified to the registration officer in writing.

(3) Following receipt of the information from the registration officer, the Lord President may disclose the information to the Secretary of State.

(4) Where information has been disclosed to the Secretary of State under paragraph (3), the Secretary of State may compare it against—

(a) the name, date of birth and address, including postcode, of individuals appearing in the following types of databases kept by the Secretary of State—

(i) databases kept for the purposes of functions relating to social security (including such information kept on behalf of the Department for Social Development); and

(ii) databases relating to working tax credit, child tax credit and child benefit (being information kept on behalf of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs); and

(b) any other information contained in those databases which relates to the information disclosed under paragraph (3).

(5) The Secretary of State may disclose the results of the comparison to the Lord President.

(6) On receipt of such results, the Lord President may disclose them to the registration officer in whose register the person is registered.

(7) Where the Lord President does so, the registration officer must take the results into account in determining whether the person is entitled to remain registered.

(8) The evidence specified for the purpose of paragraph 4(2) of Schedule 5 to the 2013 Act shall be evidence that an entry on the register corresponds—

(a) with the information held by the Secretary of State against which it has been compared, or

(b) where the entry does not correspond with that information or where no results are disclosed to the registration officer, with information contained in records which the registration officer is entitled to inspect under regulation 35 of each of the two 2001 Regulations.

(9) Registration officers must have regard to any guidance that may be given by the Lord President about the process for determining whether the person is entitled to be registered in the register and the relative weight to be given to different kinds of evidence.

(10) In this article—

(a) “conduit system” has the same meaning as in paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Telecommunications Act 1984(1);

(b) “Secretary of State” means the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

(1)

1984 c.12; paragraph 1 has been amended but no amendments are relevant to this Order.