(1)
As soon as practicable after declaring the result of the referendum, the Returning Officer must—
enclose and securely seal in 1 or more separate parcels—
all returned voting papers, used or unused; and
the record of informal and invalid voting papers; and
the Returning Officer’s copy of the roll; and
send the parcels to the Clerk of the House.
(2)
The Clerk of the House must,—
as soon as practicable, sign a receipt for the parcels and send it to the Returning Officer; and
keep the parcels safely for 6 months unopened, unless a court of competent jurisdiction or the House of Representatives orders them, or any of them, to be opened; and
ensure that at the end of 6 months the parcels are destroyed unopened in the presence of the Clerk of the House.
(3)
Section 190 of the Electoral Act 1993 applies, as far as is applicable and with any necessary modifications, to everything kept by the Clerk of the House under subsection (2).
Compare: 2000 No 48 s 50; 1997 No 13 s 47