The National Assembly for Wales (Returning Officers’ Charges) Order 2016

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order provides for payments for services and expenses of returning officers in connection with the conduct of the National Assembly for Wales elections which are to be held together with the elections of police and crime commissioners (in accordance with Chapter 6 of Part 1 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011) on the same date in 2016. The amounts indicated in this Order as being the maximum recoverable amounts for specified services and specified expenses of returning officers have taken into consideration the provisions contained within the National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) (Combination of Polls and Amendment) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/272) which require these costs to be apportioned equally between the National Assembly for Wales elections and the elections of police and crime commissioners.

This Order revokes the National Assembly for Wales (Returning Officers’ Charges) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/632 (W. 92)) and the National Assembly for Wales (Returning Officers’ Charges) (Amendment) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/2478 (W. 270)). It is made under article 23 of the National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/236). Article 23 provides that a constituency or a regional returning officer is entitled to recover charges in respect of services rendered or expenses incurred in connection with an Assembly election.

Articles 4, 5 and 6 of this Order specify the maximum amounts recoverable by constituency returning officers for each contested Assembly constituency election held on the same day as the election of police and crime commissioners.

The table in Schedule 1 lists by constituency the maximum recoverable amount for specified services (column 2), the maximum recoverable amount for specified expenses (column 3) and the overall maximum recoverable amount (column 4).

Articles 7, 8 and 9 specify the maximum amounts recoverable by regional returning officers for each contested Assembly regional election held on the same day as the election of police and crime commissioners.

The table in Schedule 2 lists by electoral region the maximum recoverable amount for specified services (column 2), the maximum recoverable amount for specified expenses (column 3) and the overall maximum recoverable amount (column 4).

In the case of an uncontested Assembly constituency election, article 10 provides that articles 4 to 6 do not apply. Instead the overall maximum recoverable amount is £1,750 for each Assembly constituency.

In the case of an uncontested Assembly regional election, article 11 provides that articles 7 to 9 do not apply. Instead the overall maximum recoverable amount is £350 for each Assembly region.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to this Order. As a result, it was not considered necessary to carry out a regulatory impact assessment as the likely costs and benefits of complying with this Order.