2011 No. 576  (S. 1 )

Constitutional Law
Devolution, Scotland
Representation Of The People

The Scottish Parliament (Regional Returning Officers) Order 2011

Made

Coming into force

This Order is made in exercise of the powers conferred by section 12(6) of the Scotland Act 19981.

The Secretary of State has consulted with the Electoral Commission as required by section 7 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 20002.

Accordingly the Secretary of State makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement1

This Order may be cited as the Scottish Parliament (Regional Returning Officers) Order 2011 and shall come into force on the day after the day on which it is made.

Interpretation2

In this Order—

  • “local authority” means a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 19943; and

  • “local government area” means the area of a local authority.

Regional returning officers3

For the purposes of the Scotland Act 1998, the person designated as the regional returning officer for a region specified in the first column of the Schedule to this Order is the person who, under section 41 of the Representation of the People Act 19834, is the returning officer for elections of councillors for the local authority for the local government area specified in the corresponding entry in the second column of that Schedule.

Revocation4

The Scottish Parliament (Regional Returning Officers) (Scotland) (No.2) Order 19995 is revoked.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

DAVID MUNDELLParliamentary Under Secretary of StateScotland OfficeDover House, London

SCHEDULEREGIONAL RETURNING OFFICERS FOR THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT REGIONS

Article 3

(1)

Region

(2)

Local government area

Central Scotland

North Lanarkshire

Glasgow

Glasgow City

Highlands and Islands

Highland

Lothian

City of Edinburgh

Mid Scotland and Fife

Fife

North East Scotland

Aberdeen City

South Scotland

Dumfries and Galloway

West Scotland

Renfrewshire

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order designates, for the purposes of the Scotland Act 1998, the person who is the regional returning officer for each Scottish Parliament region. Paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to the 1998 Act provides for there to be eight regions for the purposes of the Act and for seven regional members to be returned for each region. The regions are now specified in the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies and Regions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2691). Regional returning officers perform functions, conferred by or under the 1998 Act, in relation to the election and return of regional members of the Scottish Parliament. This Order revokes the previous Order made under section 12(6) of the 1998 Act (which designated regional returning officers for the regions which existed prior to the coming into force of S.I. 2010/2691).