Referendum Act, 1994

The referendum returning officer.

14.—(1) Not later than the day on which an order appointing the polling day at a referendum is made, the Minister shall appoint a person to be the returning officer (in this Act referred to as “the referendum returning officer”) for the purposes of the referendum.

(2) Where the referendum returning officer is prevented by illness or other reasonable cause from performing all or any of his duties at the referendum, the Minister shall appoint a person to act as a referendum returning officer for the performance of those duties during the period of the prevention and references in this Act to the referendum returning officer shall be construed accordingly.

(3) It shall be the duty of the referendum returning officer to conduct the referendum for the purposes of which the officer is appointed, to ascertain and declare the result thereof in accordance with this Act, and to do such other acts and things in respect of the referendum as are required by this Act.

(4) There shall be charged on and paid out of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof to the referendum returning officer such sums as the Minister for Finance shall sanction for that officer's services and expenses in respect of the referendum for the purposes of which the officer is appointed.

(5) For the purpose of payment for such services and expenses, an account of them shall be submitted by the referendum returning officer to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Finance may issue directions as to the time when and the manner and form in which the account shall be so submitted.

(6) The Minister for Finance may make an advance to the referendum returning officer for the officer's services and expenses on such terms as that Minister thinks fit.

(7) The appointment of a referendum returning officer for the purposes of a referendum shall be deemed to extend to and include appointment for the purposes of any retaking of the referendum pursuant to section 48 .