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| | Personal identifiers at the ballot box |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | The Representation of the People Act 1983 (“the 1983 Act”) Schedule 1 |
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| | (Parliamentary Election Rules) shall be amended as follows. |
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| | (2) | The following shall be inserted after Rule 27(1) (ballot paper to be delivered to |
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| | “(1A) | A ballot paper shall not be delivered to a voter unless he has produced a |
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| | specified document to the presiding officer or a clerk. |
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| | (1B) | Where a voter produces a specified document, the presiding officer or |
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| | clerk to whom it is produced shall deliver a ballot paper to the voter |
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| | unless the officer or clerk decides that the document raises a reasonable |
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| | doubt at to whether the voter is the elector or proxy he represents himself |
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| | (1C) | Where a voter produces a specified document to a presiding officer and |
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| | he so decides, he shall refuse to deliver a ballot paper to the voter. |
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| | (1D) | Where a voter produces a specified document to a clerk and he so |
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| | decides, he shall refer the matter and produce the document to the |
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| | presiding officer who shall proceed as if the document has been produced |
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| | to him in the first place. |
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| | (1E) | For the purposes of this rule a specified document is one which for the |
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| | time being falls within the following list— |
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| | (a) | a current passport issued by the government of the United |
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| | Kingdom or by the government of the Republic of Ireland; |
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| | (b) | a current licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part III |
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| | of the Road Traffic Act 1972 (or Part III of the Road Traffic Act |
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| | 1988) (including a provisional licence), or under Article 12 of the |
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| | Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 or any |
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| | corresponding enactment for the time being in force; |
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| | (c) | a credit or debit card with signature; |
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| | (d) | HM forces identification card; |
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| | (e) | a medical card with signature on it; |
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| | (f) | a local authority valid bus pass with signature on it; |
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| | (g) | a valid book for the payment of allowances, benefits or pensions |
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| | if it has a signature in it; |
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| | (h) | a tenant book if it has a signature in it; |
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| | (i) | a certified copy, or extract, of an entry of marriage issued by a |
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| | Registrar General, where the voter producing the copy of an |
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| | extract is a woman married within the period of two years ending |
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| | with the day of the poll concerned. |
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| | | In sub-paragraph (i) above “a Registrar General” means the Registrar |
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| | General for England and Wales, the Registrar General of Births, Deaths |
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| | and Marriages for Scotland or the Register General for Northern Ireland, |
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| | (1F) | Regulations may make provision varying the list in paragraph (1E) above |
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| | (whether by adding or deleting documents or varying any description of |
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| | (1G) | References in this rule to producing a document are to producing it for |
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| | (3) | The following shall be inserted after Rule 38(1) (incapacitated voter’s vote to be |
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| | marked on ballot paper on application)— |
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| | “(1A) | Paragraphs (1A) to (1G) of Rule 37 shall apply in the case of a voter who |
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| | applies under paragraph (1) above as they apply in the case of a voter who |
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| | applies under Rule 37(1), but reading references to delivering a ballot |
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| | paper to a voter as references to causing a voter’s vote to be marked on a |
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| | (4) | The following shall be inserted after Rule 39(2) (blind voter to be allowed |
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| | assistance of companion on application)— |
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| | “(2A) | Paragraphs (1A) to (1G) of Rule 37 shall apply in the case of a voter who |
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| | applies under paragraph (1) above as they apply in the case of a voter who |
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| | applies under Rule 37(1), but reading references to delivering a ballot |
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| | paper to a voter as references to granting a voter’s application.”. |
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| | (5) | The following shall be inserted after Rule 40(1) (person entitled to mark tendered |
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| | ballot paper after another has voted)— |
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| | “(1A) | Paragraphs (1A) to (1G) of Rule 37 shall apply in the case of a person |
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| | who seeks to mark a tendered ballot under paragraph (1) above as they |
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| | apply in the case of a voter who applies for a ballot paper under Rule |
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| | (1B) | Paragraph (1C) below applies where a presiding officer refuses to deliver |
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| | a ballot paper to a person under paragraph (1C) of Rule 37 (including that |
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| | paragraph as applied by Rule 38 or 39 or this Rule). |
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| | (1C) | The person shall, on satisfactorily answering the questions permitted by |
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| | law to be asked at the poll, nevertheless be entitled, subject to the |
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| | following provisions of this Rule, to mark a ballot paper (in these Rules |
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| | referred to as “a tendered ballot paper”) in the same manner as any other |
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| | (6) | The following shall be inserted after Rule 40(4)— |
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| | “(5) | A person who marks a tendered ballot paper under paragraph (1C) above |
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| | shall sign the paper, unless it was marked after an application was refused |
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| | (6) | A paper which is required to be signed under paragraph (5) above and is |
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| | not so signed shall be void.”’. |
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| | Moratorium on electoral modernisation pilots |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘No electoral modernisation pilot scheme which uses electronic voting and |
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| | electronic counting systems under section 10 (pilot schemes for local elections in |
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| | England and Wales) of the 2000 Act shall be commenced for a period of five |
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| | years beginning on the day on which this Act is passed.’. |
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| | Review of electoral modernisation piloting |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | The Secretary of State shall appoint a Committee to conduct a review of electoral |
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| | (2) | The Secretary of State shall appoint no fewer than five and no more than ten |
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| | members of the Committee, who have, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, |
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| | relevant knowledge and experience. |
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| | (3) | The Committee shall complete the review and report to the Secretary of State no |
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| | later than five years after the commencement of this Act. |
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| | (4) | The Secretary of State shall lay a copy of the report before Parliament as soon as |
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| | is reasonably practicable.’. |
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| Clause 8, page 5, line 43, leave out ‘£200’ and insert ‘£1,000’. |
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| Clause 8, page 6, line 3, leave out ‘£200’ and insert ‘£1,000’. |
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| Clause 8, page 6, line 14, leave out ‘£200’ and insert ‘£1,000’. |
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| Clause 8, page 7, line 28, leave out the words in column 2 of the table and insert ‘A |
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| Schedule 3, page 34, line 2, at end insert— |
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| | ‘Schedule 6 to the 2000 Act (details to be given in donation reports) |
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| | A1 (4) | In paragraph 2 of Schedule 6 to the 2000 Act (details to be given in donation |
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| | reports), after paragraph (b) of sub-paragraph (10), there is inserted— |
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| | “(c) | the name and addresses of all the members of and donors to |
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| | (5) | In paragraph 2 of Schedule 6A to the 2000 Act (details to be given in |
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| | transaction reports), after paragraph (b) of sub-paragraph (10), there is |
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| | “(c) | the name and addresses of all the members of and donors to |
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| | (6) | In paragraph 2A of Schedule 6A to the 2000 Act (details to be given in |
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| | transaction reports), after paragraph (b) of sub-paragraph (11), there is |
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| | “(ba) | the name and addresses of all the members of and donors to |
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| Schedule 3, page 34, line 4, at beginning insert— |
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| | ‘(A1) | In paragraph 1 of Schedule 7 to the 2000 Act (prohibition on accepting |
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| | donations from impermissible donors), at the end of sub-paragraph (7)(c) there |
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| | is inserted “, or a compliance officer appointed by the holder of a relevant |
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| | elective office to act on his behalf.”’. |
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| Schedule 3, page 34, line 4, at beginning insert— |
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| | ‘(A1) | In paragraph 1 of Schedule 7 to the 2000 Act (prohibition on accepting |
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| | donations from impermissible donors), at the end of sub-paragraph (8)(a) there |
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| | “(aa) | member of the House of Lords;”’. |
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| Schedule 3, page 39, line 11, leave out paragraph 10 and insert— |
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| | ‘10 | Omit Schedule 20 (penalties).’. |
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| Clause 10, page 8, line 42, at end insert— |
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| | ‘(4A) | No act or statement made before the commencement of this section shall be taken |
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| | into account in deciding whether a person has become a candidate.’. |
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| New Clauses Relating to Political Donations and Expenditure |
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| | Limits on party expenditure |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | A registered political party that has contested 100 or more seats at a general |
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| | election may spend in total, including expenditure by any of its national, regional, |
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| | local or other organs, no more than £100 million on qualifying expenditure in any |
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| | period of 61 months following each general election. |
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| | (2) | A registered political party that has contested fewer than 100 seats at a general |
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| | election may spend in total, including expenditure by any of its national, regional, |
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| | local or other organs, no more than £152,250 multiplied by the number of seats |
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| | that it did contest, plus £2,500 multiplied by the number of additional seats it |
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| | fights in the following election for each month or part of a month between the |
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| | previous general election and the following general election. |
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| | (3) | If more than one general election occurs during the period of 61 months following |
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| | the previous general election, the Electoral Commission shall have power to |
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| | increase the sum referred to in subsection (1) by an amount it reasonably believes |
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| | (4) | “Qualifying expenditure” shall include expenditure, whether or not made to |
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| | promote a particular candidate at a particular election, on— |
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| | (a) | party political broadcasts;
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| | expenses in respect of such broadcasts include agency fees, design costs |
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| | and other costs in connection with preparing or producing such |
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| | (b) | advertising of any nature (whatever the medium used);
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| | expenses in respect of such advertising include agency fees, design costs |
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| | and other costs in connection with preparing, producing, distributing or |
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| | otherwise disseminating such advertising or anything incorporating such |
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| | advertising and intended to be distributed for the purpose of |
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| | (c) | unsolicited material addressed to electors (whether addressed to them by |
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| | name or intended for delivery to households within any particular area or |
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| | expenses in respect of such material include design costs and other costs |
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| | in connection with preparing, producing or distributing such material |
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| | (including the cost of postage); |
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| | (d) | any manifesto or other document setting out the party’s policies;
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| | expenses in respect of such a document include design costs and other |
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| | costs in connection with preparing or producing or distributing or |
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| | otherwise disseminating any such document; |
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| | (e) | market research or canvassing conducted for the purpose of ascertaining |
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| | polling intentions or for the purpose of increasing the support of that |
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| | party or reducing the support of other parties, |
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| | (f) | the provision of any services or facilities in connection with press |
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| | conferences or other dealings with the media, |
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| | (g) | transport (by any means) of persons to any place or places with a view to |
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| | obtaining publicity for the party, its policies, its representatives or its |
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| | (h) | rallies and other events, including public meetings (but not annual or |
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| | other party conferences) organised so as to obtain publicity for the party, |
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| | its policies, its representatives or its views;
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| | expenses in respect of such events include costs incurred in connection |
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| | with the attendance of persons at such events, the hire of premises for the |
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| | purposes of such events or the provision of goods, services or facilities at |
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| | (i) | any expenditure by third parties on the matters referred to in (a) to (h) that |
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| | is reasonably believed by the Electoral Commission to be intended to |
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| | increase support for that party or to reduce support for other parties. |
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| | (5) | The following do not count as qualifying expenditure— |
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| | (a) | any expenses incurred in respect of unsolicited material addressed to |
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| | (b) | any expenses in respect of any property, services or facilities so far as |
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| | those expenses fall to be met out of public funds; |
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| | (c) | any expenses incurred in respect of the remuneration or allowances |
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| | payable to any member of the staff (whether permanent or otherwise) of |
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| | (d) | any expenses incurred in respect of an individual by way of travelling |
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| | expenses (by any means of transport) or in providing for his |
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| | accommodation or other personal needs to the extent that the expenses |
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| | are paid by the individual from his own resources and are not reimbursed |
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| | (6) | For the avoidance of doubt, the following shall count as qualifying expenditure— |
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| | (a) | any expenses in respect of newsletters or similar publications issued by |
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| | or on behalf of the party with a view to giving electors in a particular |
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| | electoral area information about the opinions or activities of, or other |
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| | personal information relating to, their elected representatives or existing |
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| | or prospective candidates; |
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| | (b) | any expenditure paid out of the House of Commons Communications |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | In section 54 of the 2000 Act, after subsection (1) there is inserted— |
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| | “(1A) | A donation received by a registered party from a permissible donor must |
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| | not be accepted by the party in so far as the amount of that donation and |
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| | of any other donations accepted by the party from that donor during the |
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| | previous 12 months exceeds £50,000. |
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| | (1B) | Subsection (1A) does not apply to donations to which subsections (1) and |
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| | (2) of section 55 apply.”. |
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| | (2) | In section 56 of the 2000 Act, after subsection (2) there is inserted— |
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| | “(2A) | If a registered party receives a donation which it is prohibited from |
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| | accepting by virtue of section 54(1A), subsection (2) applies to that |
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| | donation only in so far as the amount of that donation and of any other |
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| | donations accepted by the party from that donor during the previous 12 |
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| | months exceeds £50,000.”. |
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| | (3) | In subsection 58(1)(a) of the 2000 Act, after “(b)”, there is inserted “or (1A)”’. |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | No registered political party may spend more than 0.3 per cent. of its national |
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| | spending limit on qualifying expenditure in any individual parliamentary |
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| | constituency during the regulated period. |
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| | (2) | If a by-election is held in a constituency, the limit mentioned in subsection (1) |
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| | shall be increased by the relevant limit on election expenses for by-elections in |
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| | force at the time of the by-election. |
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| | “national spending limit” means the amount applicable to that party |
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| | according to subsection (1) or (2) of section [Limits on party |
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| | “the regulated period” means the periods applicable to that party according |
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| | to subsection (1) or (2) of section [Limits on party expenditure]; |
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| | “qualifying expenditure” has the same meaning as in section [Limits on |
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| | party expenditure], except that expenditure on the remuneration or |
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| | allowances of staff shall count as qualifying expenditure to the extent that |
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| | the staff are engaged in the activities described in section [Limits on party |
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