House of Commons Amendments

House of Commons

Session 2007 - 08
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Public Bill Committee: 20th November 2008
228

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

196

Schedule  3,  page  38,  line  10,  after first ‘the’, insert ‘reasonable’.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

197

Schedule  3,  page  38,  line  15,  after ‘person’s’, insert ‘reasonable’.

Mr Michael Wills

171

Schedule  3,  page  38,  leave out lines 26 to 28.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

198

Schedule  3,  page  38,  line  31,  at end insert—

‘(8)
The Commission shall prepare and publish guidance notes, which must be

attached to any declaration under paragraph 6A, and which set out in clear

English information necessary to properly complete such a declaration, which

will as a minimum include—

(i)
examples to assist in understanding how benefits are valued;

(j)
examples to assist in the completion of the declarations required by

paragraph 6A(3);

(k)
the penalties for non-compliance with time periods, and for knowingly or

recklessly making a false declaration;

(l)
the appropriate details of when time limits for the submission of

declarations commence and end.’.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

121

Page  34,  line  1,  leave out Schedule 3.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

182

Clause  9,  page  8,  line  18,  leave out ‘all’.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

183

Clause  9,  page  8,  line  21,  after first ‘the’, insert ‘party or its’.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

184

Clause  9,  page  8,  line  21,  after ‘treasurer’, insert ‘reasonably’.

Public Bill Committee: 20th November 2008
229

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

David Howarth

Mr Alan Reid

152

Clause  9,  page  8,  line  22,  at end add—

‘(3B)
The defence established by subsection (3A) shall not apply where the donor was

not a permissible donor by virtue of section [Non-electors to be impermissible

donors].’.

Martin Linton

Dr Alan Whitehead

201

Clause  10,  page  8,  line  29,  leave out subsection (2)(b) and insert—

‘(b)
for “after the date when he becomes a candidate at the election” there is

substituted “after the 50th month following the month of the previous

general election”’.

David Howarth

Mr Alan Reid

18

Clause  10,  page  8,  line  42,  at end insert—

‘(4A)
No act or statement made before the commencement of this section shall be taken

into account in deciding whether a person has become a candidate.’.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

104

Clause  10,  page  9,  line  2,  at end add—

‘(6)
The date of commencement of this section shall be determined by affirmative

resolution and shall not be earlier than the end of a three month consultation

period following the publication of the relevant guidelines by the Electoral

Commission.’.

Martin Linton

Dr Alan Whitehead

202

Clause  10,  page  9,  line  2,  at end add—

‘(6)
In the 1983 Act section 76 (Limitation of election expenses) is amended as

follows.

(7)
In subsection 2(a)—

(a)
in paragraph (i), after “electors” there is inserted “in the period between

the end of the 50th month following the month of the previous general

election and the dissolution of Parliament, plus the same amount between

the date of the dissolution of Parliament and the date of the general

election”;

(b)
in paragraph (ii), after “electors” there is inserted “in the period between

the end of the 50th month following the month of the previous general

election and the dissolution of Parliament, plus the same amount between

Public Bill Committee: 20th November 2008
230

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

the date of the dissolution of Parliament and the date of the general

election.”’.

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

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;

Public Bill Committee: 20th November 2008
231

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

(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;

(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—