House of Commons Amendments

House of Commons

Session 2007 - 08
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Other Bills before Parliament

Public Bill Committee: 4th November 2008
30

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Mr Fabian Hamilton

Mr Denis MacShane

9

Schedule  3,  page  34,  line  4,  at beginning insert—

  ‘(A1)
In paragraph 1 of Schedule 7 to the 2000 Act (prohibition on accepting

donations from impermissible donors), at the end of sub-paragraph (8)(a) there

is inserted—

“(aa)
member of the House of Lords;”’.

Mr Fabian Hamilton

Mr Denis MacShane

11

Schedule  3,  page  39,  line  11,  leave out paragraph 10 and insert—

‘10
Omit Schedule 20 (penalties).’.

New Clauses Relating to Political Donations and Expenditure

Limits on party expenditure

David Howarth

Mr Alan Reid

NC3

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
A registered political party that has contested 100 or more seats at a general

election may spend in total, including expenditure by any of its national, regional,

local or other organs, no more than £100 million on qualifying expenditure in any

period of 61 months following each general election.

(2)
A registered political party that has contested fewer than 100 seats at a general

election may spend in total, including expenditure by any of its national, regional,

local or other organs, no more than £152,250 multiplied by the number of seats

that it did contest, plus £2,500 multiplied by the number of additional seats it

fights in the following election for each month or part of a month between the

previous general election and the following general election.

(3)
If more than one general election occurs during the period of 61 months following

the previous general election, the Electoral Commission shall have power to

increase the sum referred to in subsection (1) by an amount it reasonably believes

to be proportionate.

(4)
“Qualifying expenditure” shall include expenditure, whether or not made to

promote a particular candidate at a particular election, on—

(a)
party political broadcasts;

expenses in respect of such broadcasts include agency fees, design costs

and other costs in connection with preparing or producing such

broadcasts;

(b)
advertising of any nature (whatever the medium used);

expenses in respect of such advertising include agency fees, design costs

and other costs in connection with preparing, producing, distributing or

otherwise disseminating such advertising or anything incorporating such

Public Bill Committee: 4th November 2008
31

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

advertising and intended to be distributed for the purpose of

disseminating it;

(c)
unsolicited material addressed to electors (whether addressed to them by

name or intended for delivery to households within any particular area or

areas);

expenses in respect of such material include design costs and other costs

in connection with preparing, producing or distributing such material

(including the cost of postage);

(d)
any manifesto or other document setting out the party’s policies;

expenses in respect of such a document include design costs and other

costs in connection with preparing or producing or distributing or

otherwise disseminating any such document;

(e)
market research or canvassing conducted for the purpose of ascertaining

polling intentions or for the purpose of increasing the support of that

party or reducing the support of other parties,

(f)
the provision of any services or facilities in connection with press

conferences or other dealings with the media,

(g)
transport (by any means) of persons to any place or places with a view to

obtaining publicity for the party, its policies, its representatives or its

views,

(h)
rallies and other events, including public meetings (but not annual or

other party conferences) organised so as to obtain publicity for the party,

its policies, its representatives or its views;

expenses in respect of such events include costs incurred in connection

with the attendance of persons at such events, the hire of premises for the

purposes of such events or the provision of goods, services or facilities at

them;

(i)
any expenditure by third parties on the matters referred to in (a) to (h) that

is reasonably believed by the Electoral Commission to be intended to

increase support for that party or to reduce support for other parties.

(5)
The following do not count as qualifying expenditure—

(a)
any expenses incurred in respect of unsolicited material addressed to

party members;

(b)
any expenses in respect of any property, services or facilities so far as

those expenses fall to be met out of public funds;

(c)
any expenses incurred in respect of the remuneration or allowances

payable to any member of the staff (whether permanent or otherwise) of

the party; or

(d)
any expenses incurred in respect of an individual by way of travelling

expenses (by any means of transport) or in providing for his

accommodation or other personal needs to the extent that the expenses

are paid by the individual from his own resources and are not reimbursed

to him.

(6)
For the avoidance of doubt, the following shall count as qualifying expenditure—

(a)
any expenses in respect of newsletters or similar publications issued by

or on behalf of the party with a view to giving electors in a particular

electoral area information about the opinions or activities of, or other

personal information relating to, their elected representatives or existing

or prospective candidates;

Public Bill Committee: 4th November 2008
32

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

(b)
any expenditure paid out of the House of Commons Communications

Allowance.’.

Cap on donations

David Howarth

Mr Alan Reid

NC4

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
In section 54 of the 2000 Act, after subsection (1) there is inserted—

“(1A)
A donation received by a registered party from a permissible donor must

not be accepted by the party in so far as the amount of that donation and

of any other donations accepted by the party from that donor during the

previous 12 months exceeds £50,000.

(1B)
Subsection (1A) does not apply to donations to which subsections (1) and

(2) of section 55 apply.”.

(2)
In section 56 of the 2000 Act, after subsection (2) there is inserted—

“(2A)
If a registered party receives a donation which it is prohibited from

accepting by virtue of section 54(1A), subsection (2) applies to that

donation only in so far as the amount of that donation and of any other

donations accepted by the party from that donor during the previous 12

months exceeds £50,000.”.

(3)
In subsection 58(1)(a) of the 2000 Act, after “(b)”, there is inserted “or (1A)”’.

Remaining New Clauses

Review of the Act

Mr Fabian Hamilton

Mr Denis MacShane

NC5

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The Secretary of State shall appoint a committee to conduct a review of this Act.

(2)
He must seek to secure that at any time there are not fewer than seven members

of the committee.

(3)
A person may be a member of the committee only if he is a member of the Privy

Council.

(4)
The committee shall complete the review and send a report to the Secretary of

State not later than the end of two years beginning with the day on which this Act

is passed.

(5)
The Secretary of State shall lay a copy of the report before Parliament as soon as

is reasonably practicable.

Public Bill Committee: 4th November 2008
33

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

(6)
The Secretary of State may make payments to persons appointed as members of

the committee.’.

Order of the House [20th OCTOBER 2008] as amended by order of

27th october

That the following provisions shall apply to the Political Parties and Elections Bill:

Committal

1.
The Bill shall be committed to a Public Bill Committee.

Proceedings in Public Bill Committee

2.
Proceedings in the Public Bill Committee shall (so far as not previously

concluded) be brought to a conclusion on Thursday 20th November 2008.

3.
The Public Bill Committee shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on

which it meets.

Consideration and Third Reading

4.
Proceedings on consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be

brought to a conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the

day on which those proceedings are commenced.

5.
Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be

brought to a conclusion at the moment of interruption on that day.

6.
Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to

proceedings on consideration and Third Reading.

Other proceedings

7.
Any other proceedings on the Bill (including any proceedings on

consideration of Lords Amendments or on any further messages from the

Lords) may be programmed.