Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2001

Expenses.

37.—(1) The expenses incurred by returning officers in acquiring voting systems for the purposes of this Part shall be paid by the Minister for Finance out of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof.

(2) On request of a returning officer for an advance on account of his or her expenses under subsection (1), the Minister for Finance may, if he or she thinks fit on such terms as he or she thinks fit, make such an advance.

(3) An advance under subsection (2) may be made to a returning officer irrespective of whether an order under section 96(1)(a) of the Principal Act has been made or not or a scale of maximum charges under section 32 of the Principal Act has been made or not.

(4) An account of expenses under this section shall be included in the account to be submitted by the returning officer concerned to the Minister for Finance under subsection (2) of section 32 of the Principal Act.

(5) The expenses incurred by the Minister in taking steps to advertise or otherwise give publicity to any voting system to be, or which has been, introduced in one or more constituencies or to provide an educational scheme in respect of such a system (which steps the Minister is hereby empowered to take) shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof.