House of Commons Amendments

House of Commons

Session 2008 - 09
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Notices of Amendments: 26 February 2009
165

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(b)


Line  13,  after ‘£25,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(c)


Line  23,  after ‘£500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(d)


Line  60,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(e)


Line  72,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(f)


Line  84,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(g)


Line  90,  after ‘£500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(h)


Line  92,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(i)


Line  94,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Notices of Amendments: 26 February 2009
166

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(j)


Line  96,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(k)


Line  99,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(l)


Line  102,  after ‘£1,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(m)


Line  104,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

new clauses and amendments relating to clauses 8 and 9 and schedule 3

Mr Gordon Prentice

Kelvin Hopkins

Paul Flynn

David Taylor

Mr David Drew

Lynne Jones

Total signatories: 216

David Lepper

Sir Gerald Kaufman

Kerry McCarthy

Mr David Clelland

Fiona Mactaggart

Mr John Grogan

Ms Karen Buck

Mrs Joan Humble

Mr Clive Betts

David Cairns

Mr Peter Hain

Mr Dai Davies

Mr Angus MacNeill

Paul Rowen

Mrs Louise Ellman

Dr Hywel Francis

Nigel Griffiths

Andrew Miller

Sandra Osborne

Kali Mountford

Lindsay Roy

Gwyn Prosser

David Wright

Mr Mike Hancock

Mr Mohammed Sarwar

Mr David Heath

Mr Adrian Sanders

Mr Phil Willis

John Mason

Mr David Crausby

Mr Fabian Hamilton

Mr Stephen Hepburn

Mr Jim Hood

Sarah Teather

Mr Mike Weir

Adam Price

Joan Walley

Mrs Betty Williams

Dr Rudi Vis

Notices of Amendments: 26 February 2009
167

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Alan Keen

Mr Gordon Marsden

Mr Denis Murphy

Stephen Pound

Mr Andy Reed

Mr Don Touhig

Mr Mark Todd

Paddy Tipping

Ms Dari Taylor

Mr Andrew Love

Tim Farron

Mr Jim McGovern

Michael Jabez Foster

John Cummings

84

Page  6,  line  4  [Clause  8],  at end insert—

‘(1A)
In section 54 of the 2000 Act (permissible donors), in subsection 2(a), after

“register” there is inserted “who is resident in the United Kingdom for the

purposes of Part 14 of the Income Tax Act 2007 (c. 3) and is not a non-domiciled

United Kingdom resident”.’.

Mr Gordon Prentice

Kelvin Hopkins

Paul Flynn

David Taylor

Mr David Drew

Lynne Jones

Total signatories: 216

David Lepper

Sir Gerald Kaufman

Kerry McCarthy

Mr David Clelland

Fiona Mactaggart

Mr John Grogan

Ms Karen Buck

Mrs Joan Humble

Mr Clive Betts

David Cairns

Mr Peter Hain

Mr Dai Davies

Mr Angus MacNeill

Paul Rowen

Mrs Louise Ellman

Dr Hywel Francis

Nigel Griffiths

Andrew Miller

Sandra Osborne

Kali Mountford

Lindsay Roy

Gwyn Prosser

David Wright

Mr Mike Hancock

Mr Mohammed Sarwar

Mr David Heath

Mr Adrian Sanders

Mr Phil Willis

John Mason

Mr David Crausby

Mr Fabian Hamilton

Mr Stephen Hepburn

Mr Jim Hood

Sarah Teather

Mr Mike Weir

Adam Price

Joan Walley

Mrs Betty Williams

Dr Rudi Vis

Alan Keen

Mr Gordon Marsden

Mr Denis Murphy

Stephen Pound

Mr Andy Reed

Mr Don Touhig

Mr Mark Todd

Paddy Tipping

Ms Dari Taylor

Mr Andrew Love

Tim Farron

Mr Jim McGovern

Michael Jabez Foster

John Cummings

85

Page  6,  line  27  [Clause  8],  at end insert—

‘(3A)
A declaration under this section must also state that the person P is resident in the

United Kingdom for the purposes of Part 14 of the Income Tax Act 2007 and is

not a non-domiciled United Kingdom resident.’.

Secretary Jack Straw

115

Page  7,  line  18  [Clause  8],  leave out from ‘must’ to ‘either’ in line 20.

Notices of Amendments: 26 February 2009
168

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Secretary Jack Straw

116

Page  39,  line  44  [Schedule  3],  leave out ‘and subsection (6) of that section’.

Secretary Jack Straw

117

Page  39,  line  46  [Schedule  3],  leave out ‘and sub-paragraph (6) of that paragraph

respectively’.

Secretary Jack Straw

118

Page  41,  line  21  [Schedule  3],  leave out from ‘must’ to ‘either’ in line 23.

Secretary Jack Straw

119

Page  43,  line  5  [Schedule  3],  leave out from ‘must’ to ‘either’ in line 7.

other new clauses relating to political donations and spending

£50,000 cap on donations

David Howarth

Mr Alan Reid

Mr Nick Clegg

Dr Vincent Cable

Mr David Heath

Mr Paul Burstow

NC1

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

same calendar year 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

Notices of Amendments: 26 February 2009
169

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

donations accepted by the party from that donor during the same calendar

year exceeds £50,000.”.

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

Donations by companies controlled by impermissible donors

Mr Nick Clegg

Dr Vincent Cable

David Howarth

Mr David Heath

Mr Alan Reid

Mr Paul Burstow

NC5

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
A donation from a company controlled by an impermissible donor shall itself

count as not permissible for the purposes of the 2000 Act.

(2)
A company shall count as controlled by an impermissible donor when—

(a)
an impermissible donor, or any combination of impermissible donors,

owns 75 per cent. or more of the voting shares in the company;

(b)
an impermissible donor acts as a shadow director of the company; or

(c)
a majority of the board of directors of the company are impermissible

donors.

(3)
“Impermissible donor” means—

(a)
a donor who is not a permissible donor under the 2000 Act; or

(b)
a company controlled by an impermissible donor.

(4)
“Shadow director” has the same meaning as it has in section 251 of the

Companies Act 2006.’.

Local spending limit

Mr Nick Clegg

Dr Vincent Cable

David Howarth

Mr David Heath

Mr Alan Reid

Mr Paul Burstow

NC6

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
No registered political party may spend more than £300,000 in qualifying

expenditure in any individual parliamentary constituency in the 61 months

following a general election.

(2)
If a by-election is held in a constituency, the limit mentioned in subsection (1)

shall be increased for that constituency by the relevant limit on election expenses

for by-elections in force at the time of the by-election.

Notices of Amendments: 26 February 2009
170

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

(3)
In this section “qualifying expenditure” has the same meaning as in section

[Qualifying expenditure].

(4)
Where constituency boundaries change between one election and the next, the

Electoral Commission may apportion expenditure between constituencies in any

manner it thinks fit, provided that it has issued guidance on how it intends to make

such an apportionment.’.

Spending limits - power to vary

Mr Nick Clegg

Dr Vincent Cable

David Howarth

Mr David Heath

Mr Alan Reid

Mr Paul Burstow

NC7

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
Any spending limits in force by virtue of this Act may be varied by order.

(2)
An order under this section may make different provision for the periods before

and after the following general election.

(3)
No order may be laid under this section unless approved by the Electoral

Commission.

(4)
Any order made under this section must be laid before and approved by a

resolution of each House of Parliament.’.

Treatment of contributions from trade union political funds

Mr Nick Clegg

Dr Vincent Cable

David Howarth

Mr David Heath

Mr Alan Reid

Mr Paul Burstow

NC8

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The limit on donations established by section [£50,000 cap on donations] shall

apply to all expenditure out of trade union political funds unless all the conditions

of this section have been fulfilled with regard to the expenditure in question.

(2)
The conditions are—

(a)
the expenditure consists entirely of money contributed directly to the

funds of a political party;

(b)
the expenditure consists entirely of an amount paid to a political party on

the basis of muliplying the number of members who are contributors to

the union’s political fund, or a proportion of those members (not

Notices of Amendments: 26 February 2009
171

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

exceeding 100 per cent. for any single party or any combination of

parties), by a certain sum;

(c)
the sum referred to in (b) is less than the limit set by section [Cap on

donations];

(d)
the consent has been obtained either of all the members who are

contributors to the fund, or, where the basis of the calculation of the sum

expended is a proportion of those members, of at least the relevant

proportion of the members, for the expenditure concerned.

(3)
A member of a union who contributes to the political fund shall be deemed to

have consented for the purposes of subsection (2) if all the following conditions

have been satisfied—

(a)
the member was afforded during the 12 months preceding the relevant

expenditure a reasonable opportunity to be exempted from contributing

to the political fund of the union;

(b)
the union has, during the 12 months preceding the relevant expenditure,

made reasonable efforts to acquaint all members who contribute to the

political fund with—

(i)
the nature of a political fund;

(ii)
the expenditure made by the union out of the political fund in the

previous five years, including the identity of any political parties

to which payments have been made out of the political fund;

(iii)
the right of members to be exempt from paying contributions to

the fund; and

(iv)
the nature of any expenditure out of the fund that the union

intends or reasonably expects to make in the following 12

months.

(4)
The Electoral Commission may issue guidelines and model communications

about—

(a)
the requirement mentioned in subsection (3)(a); and

(b)
the conditions mentioned in subsection (3)(b).

(5)
Compliance with guidelines or use of model communications issued under this

subsection shall be deemed to be compliance with the relevant aspects of this

section.

(6)
No more than one payment under subsection (1) may be made in any one calendar

year, but the payment may be calculated on an annual basis and paid in

instalments.

House of Commons communications allowance to count as qualifying expenditure

David Howarth

Mr Alan Reid

NC9

To move the following Clause:—

‘Money paid out of the House of Commons Communications Allowance to

Members of Parliament who represent a registered party shall count as qualifying

expenditure of that party for the purposes of section [National spending limit],

notwithstanding any restriction on the use of that allowance for party political