Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional resources have been made available to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland in advance of the European Parliament Elections.

It remains the Government’s intention to leave the EU with a deal and pass the necessary legislation before 22 May, so that the UK does not need to participate in the European Parliamentary Elections.

However, it is important that the Government takes the necessary steps in advance of the elections. The European Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officer’s Charges) (Northern Ireland) Order 2019 came into force on 26 April 2019. This sets out the maximum recoverable amount that the Chief Electoral Officer can recover from the Consolidated Fund for any expenses reasonably incurred for the delivery of the potential European Parliamentary election in Northern Ireland.

The maximum recoverable amount specified in the Order is £2,850,000.