Representation of the People Act 2000

Representation of the People Act 2000

2000 CHAPTER 2

Commentary on Sections

Section 9: Supply of Information Contained in the Register

25. This section allows regulations to be made regulating the supply of the electoral register. It substitutes new paragraphs 10 and 11 of Schedule 2 to the Representation of the People Act 1983 (subsection (2)).

26. New paragraph 10 of Schedule 2 to the Representation of the People Act 1983 allows regulations to be made requiring registration officers to produce two versions of the electoral register - a complete one and an edited version omitting the names of those who have asked to have their names excluded from it.

27. The regulations can also specify how the registration officer should go about ascertaining who wishes to be excluded from the edited version and the words to be used to explain what the full and edited versions might be used for.

28. New paragraph 10A of Schedule 2 allows regulations to be made to require the full register to be available for public inspection.

29. New paragraph 10B of Schedule 2 allows regulations to be made which require registration officers to supply copies of the full register to prescribed people, either free of charge or on payment of a fee, or to supply copies of the edited register to anyone on payment of a fee. It also allows for regulations to be made specifying the uses which those who receive copies of the full register, and their employees and associates, may make of them.

30. New paragraph 11 of Schedule 2 allows regulations to be made to prohibit those inspecting the full register from making copies of it and those to whom the full register has been supplied, or to whom information from the full register may be disclosed, from passing it on or using it for purposes other than those for which it was supplied. It also allows regulations to be made imposing similar restrictions on those responsible for the preparation of the register.

31. Subsection (3) allows regulations to be made creating an offence (punishable by a fine up to level 5 on the standard scale of fines) of contravening regulations made under new paragraph 11 of Schedule 2. It is also an offence, where such a contravention has occurred on the part of an employee, for a director or manager of the company to have failed to take the necessary steps to put in place procedures designed to prevent such contraventions.