The National Assembly for Wales (Returning Officers' Charges) Order 2011

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 National Assembly for Wales elections which are to be held together with the Alternative Vote Referendum for parliamentary elections on the same date in 2011. The amounts indicated in this Order as being the maximum recoverable amounts for services and expenses of returning officers have taken into consideration the provisions contained within the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 which requires that these costs be apportioned equally between the Alternative Vote Referendum and the National Assembly for Wales elections..

This Order revokes The National Assembly for Wales (Returning Officers' Charges) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/3268). This Order 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.

Article 4 of this Order specifies the overall maximum recoverable amount for each contested Assembly constituency election held on the same day as the Alternative Vote Referendum as shown in column 4 of the table in Schedule 1.

Article 5 of this Order specifies that the total of the charges recoverable by a returning officer at a contested Assembly constituency election held on the same day as the Alternative Vote Referendum, in respect of services of the description specified in article 5 must not exceed the amount listed for each Assembly constituency in column 2 of the table in Schedule 1.

Article 6 sets out the total of the charges recoverable by a returning officer at a contested Assembly constituency election held on the same day as the Alternative Vote Referendum. The expenses of the description specified in article 6 must not exceed the amount listed for each Assembly constituency in column 3 of the table in Schedule 1.

Article 7 of this Order specifies the overall maximum recoverable amount for a contested Assembly regional election held on the same day as the Alternative Vote Referendum as shown in column 4 of the table in Schedule 2.

Article 8 of this Order specifies the total of the charges recoverable by a returning officer in respect of services at a contested regional Assembly election held on the same day as the Alternative Vote Referendum. The services are specified in article 8 and the charges must not exceed the amount listed in column 2 of the table in Schedule 2.

Article 9 sets out the total of the charges recoverable by a returning officer in respect of expenses at a contested regional Assembly election held on the same day as the Alternative Vote Referendum. The expenses are specified in article 9 and must not exceed the amount listed in column 3 of the table in Schedule 2.

In the case of an uncontested Assembly constituency election article 10 provides the overall maximum recoverable amount is £1,750 for each Assembly constituency.

In the case of an uncontested Assembly regional election article 11 provides the overall maximum recoverable amount is £350 for each Assembly region.

The table contained at Schedule 1 to this Order describes the overall maximum and the maximum recoverable amount for services and expenses by a constituency returning officer for, or in connection with, a contested election to the National Assembly for Wales held on the same day as the Alternative Vote Referendum.

The table contained at Schedule 2 to this Order describes the overall maximum and the maximum recoverable amount for services and expenses by a regional returning officer for, or in connection with, a contested election to the National Assembly for Wales held on the same day as the Alternative Vote Referendum.