- (1) A candidate at an election of Members for the Parliament of Southern Ireland or Northern Ireland shall, during the time during which nominations may be received, take and prescribe before the returning officer the oath of allegiance, and if he fails to do so he shall be deemed to be withdrawn within the meaning of the provisions of The Ballot Act, 1872.
- (2) It shall be the duty of the returning officer, and he is hereby empowered, to administer such oath.
- (3) The returning officer shall send to the officer to whom returns to writs are sent with each return the forms of oath subscribed by the persons to whom the return relates, and any return to a writ not accompanied by those forms shall be invalid. The returning officer shall also forward to the same officer, with the packets of ballot papers and other documents which he is required so to forward, the forms of oaths subscribed by candidates not included in the returns to the writs.
- (4) If a returning officer fails to comply with any of the provisions of this Section he shall forfeit the sum of three hundred pounds, recoverable at the instance of any person aggrieved or of His Majesty before a judge of the High Court sitting without a jury, and also forfeit his right to receive any sum in payment of his charges at the election.
- (5) A form of oath subscribed under this Section shall be deemed to be a public document within the meaning of The Forgery Act. 1913.
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSI do not propose to move this Clause.