Chapter IV.

General Provisions in respect of every ruling upon nomination under Chapter III.

76. —(1) The President of the High Court or some other judge of the High Court nominated by him shall attend at every ruling upon nomination held under this Part of this Act and shall there sit and act as judicial referee.

(2) The Seanad returning officer may, on his own motion, and shall, if so requested by the person who is named in the relevant certificate of provisional election or whose nomination is required by this Act to be ruled upon at the ruling upon nomination or by the agent of any such person, refer to the judicial referee any question arising during the ruling upon nomination in relation to any nomination paper, the nomination of any person, the qualifications of any person for the relevant panel, the statement by the Seanad returning officer of such qualifications, or any other matter connected with the nomination of any person.

(3) The judicial referee shall there and then decide and announce his decision on every question referred to him under this section by the Seanad returning officer.

(4) The decision of the judicial referee on any question referred to him under this section by the Seanad returning officer shall be final and conclusive and shall not be open to review by any court.

(5) A question may be referred to the judicial referee under this section whether the Seanad returning officer has or has not himself given a decision thereon.

77. —(1) Subject to compliance (where appropriate) with subsection (2) of this section, at any ruling upon nomination held under this Part of this Act every question relevant to the nomination of any person, including the validity of nomination papers, the sufficiency or the correctness of any statement in a nomination paper, the validity of any nomination, and the qualifications or disqualification of any person for the relevant panel, may be raised by the Seanad returning officer or by the person who is named in the relevant certificate of provisional election or whose nomination is required by this Act to be ruled upon at such ruling upon, nomination or by the agent of any such person.

(2) Where a person other than the Seanad returning officer proposes to raise a question at any ruling upon nomination held under this Part of this Act, he shall deliver a statement of the question and of the grounds therefor to the Seanad returning officer at least two days before the day of the ruling upon nomination.

(3) Where the identity of the person purported to be nominated by a nomination paper is free from doubt, the nomination paper shall not be rejected or declared invalid merely because of an error in, or the incompleteness of, the statement therein of the name, address, or description of such person.

(4) The Seanad returning officer may, for the purpose of deciding any question at issue during a ruling upon nomination held under this Part of this Act, receive and act upon evidence, whether oral or written, tendered to him by or on behalf of any person affected by such question, and may, if he so thinks proper, require such evidence to be given on oath and may for that purpose administer an oath.

(5) The judicial referee may, for the purpose of deciding any question at issue during a ruling upon nomination held under this Part of this Act, receive and act upon evidence, whether oral or written, tendered to him by or on behalf of any person affected by such question (being, save where the judicial referee otherwise allows, evidence which was made available to the Seanad returning officer), and may, if he so thinks proper, require such evidence to be given on oath and may for that purpose administer an oath.

78. —The following (and no other) persons may be present at a ruling upon nomination held under this Part of this Act:

(a) the Seanad returning officer and his assistants;

(b) the judicial referee and one person brought by him to attend on him;

(c) the person who is named in the relevant certificate of provisional election or any person whose nomination is required by this Part of this Act to be ruled upon at the ruling upon nomination;

(d) one agent of each of the persons referred to in paragraph (c) of this section;

(e) witnesses giving oral evidence, but only while giving such evidence;

(f) such other persons as the Seanad returning officer thinks proper to admit.

79. —(1) The proceedings at a ruling upon nomination held under this Part of this Act shall, so far as practicable, be proceeded with continuously, but may at any time be suspended by the Seanad returning officer, with the consent of the judicial referee, for such period as the Seanad returning officer thinks proper for refreshment, night-time or other reason appearing to him to be sufficient.

(2) Whenever the proceedings at a ruling upon nomination are suspended under this section, the Seanad returning officer shall take all proper precautions for the security of the nomination papers and other relevant documents.