Vol. 554 No. 5
1533 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the regulations in place to ensure the accuracy of the designation used by candidates on ballot papers in European, general or local elections; if his attention has been drawn to the use of the designation public representatives by persons who hold no elected position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16562/02]
The statutory provisions concerning the description of a candidate to be included on the ballot paper at an European Parliament, Dáil or local election are contained in the European Parliament Elections Act, 1997, (rule 13 of Second Schedule, the Electoral Act, 1992, (section 52) and the Local Elections Regulations 1995 (article 20) respectively. Under all of the provisions, it is the duty of the relevant returning officer to ensure that relevant statutory requirements are applied when ruling on the validity of a nomination paper.
Representations have not been made to my Department regarding difficulties in relation to this matter.
