House of Commons Amendments

House of Commons

Session 2008 - 09
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

139

House of Commons

Notices of Amendments

given on

Tuesday 24 February 2009

For other Amendment(s) see the following page(s) of Supplement to Votes:

95-110 and 123-33

Consideration of Bill

Political Parties and Elections Bill, As Amended

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

121

Page  6,  line  38  [Clause  8],  at end insert—

‘(6A)
A person does not commit an offence if, in the reasonable opinion of the

Commission, the person had no intention of making, or by innocent mistake

made, a false declaration under this section’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

122

Page  6,  line  12  [Clause  8],  leave out ‘best of individuals’ and insert ‘individual’s

reasonable’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

123

Page  6,  line  7  [Clause  8],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

124

Page  6,  line  35  [Clause  8],  leave out ‘£1,000’ and insert ‘£3,000 plus an annual

upwards-only indexation allowance’.

Notices of Amendments: 24 February 2009
140

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

125

Page  6,  line  3  [Clause  8],  leave out ‘£1,000’ and insert ‘£3,000 plus an annual

upwards-only indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

126

Page  6,  line  2  [Clause  8],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

127

Page  6,  line  18  [Clause  8],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

128

Page  38,  line  24  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

129

Page  38,  line  26  [Schedule  3],  leave out ‘£1,000’ and insert ‘£3,000 plus an annual

upwards-only indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

130

Page  38,  line  30  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

131

Page  38,  line  32  [Schedule  3],  leave out ‘£1,000’ and insert ‘£3,000 plus an annual

upwards-only indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

132

Page  39,  line  3  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Notices of Amendments: 24 February 2009
141

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

133

Page  39,  line  5  [Schedule  3],  leave out ‘£1,000’ and insert ‘£3,000 plus an annual

upwards-only indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

134

Page  40,  line  18  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

135

Page  40,  line  23  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

136

Page  40,  line  36  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

137

Page  42,  line  2  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

138

Page  42,  line  7  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Mr Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

139

Page  42,  line  20  [Schedule  3],  after ‘£5,000’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only

indexation allowance’.

Increased thresholds in relation to donations etc

Secretary Jack Straw

NC19

To move the following Clause:—

Notices of Amendments: 24 February 2009
142

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

‘(1)
In the following provisions of the 2000 Act, for “£200” there is substituted

“£500”—

section 52(2)(b);

section 54(4)(b) and (6)(b);
5
section 71F(12)(b);

in Schedule 7, paragraphs 4(3)(b) and 6(2) and (4)(b);

in Schedule 7A, paragraph 2(4)(b);

in Schedule 11, paragraphs 4(2) and 6(4) and (6)(b);

in Schedule 15, paragraphs 4(2) and 6(5) and (7)(b).
10
(2)
In the following provisions of the 2000 Act, for “£1,000” there is substituted

“£1,500”—

section 62(6A)(a) and (b), (7)(b) and (11)(b);

section 71M(7)(a) and (b), (8)(b) and (11)(b);

in Schedule 7, paragraph 10(1A)(a) and (b) and (2)(b);
15
in Schedule 7A, paragraph 9(2)(a) and (b) and (7)(b).

(3)
In the following provisions of the 2000 Act, for “£5,000” there is substituted

“£7,500”—

section 62(4)(a) and (b), (5)(b) and (11)(b);

section 63(3);
20
section 71M(4)(a) and (b), (5)(b) and (11)(b);

section 71Q(3);

in Schedule 7, paragraph 10(1A)(a) and (b) and (2)(b);

in Schedule 7A, paragraph 9(2)(a) and (b) and (7)(b);

in Schedule 11, paragraph 10(2)(a);
25
in Schedule 15, paragraph 10(2)(a).’.

As Amendments to Secretary Jack Straw’s proposed New Clause (Increased

thresholds in relation to donations etc) (NC19):—

Mrs Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(a)

Line  2,  after ‘£500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation allowance’.

Mrs Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(b)

Line  11,  after ‘£1,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Mrs Francis Maude

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

Mrs Eleanor Laing

(c)

Line  17,  after ‘£7,500’, insert ‘plus an annual upwards-only indexation

allowance’.

Notices of Amendments: 24 February 2009
143

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

Schemes for provision of data to registration officers

Secretary Jack Straw

NC21

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument make provision

(referred to below as a “scheme”) authorising or requiring specified persons to

provide to a specified registration officer, for the purpose mentioned in

subsection (2), information contained in records kept by those persons.

(2)
The purpose is assisting the registration officer to secure, so far as reasonably

practicable—

(a)
that persons who are entitled to be registered in a register are registered

in it,

(b)
that persons who are not entitled to be registered in a register are not

registered in it, and

(c)
that none of the information relating to a registered person that appears

in a register or other record kept by the officer is false,


and, in particular, assisting the officer to ascertain to what extent the objectives

referred to in paragraphs (a) to (c) are being met and to determine what steps

should be taken for meeting them.

(3)
A scheme may authorise or require information to be provided at specified times

or in specified circumstances.

(4)
A scheme may not authorise or require information to be provided by a person

other than—

(a)
a local or public authority, or

(b)
a person providing services to, or authorised to exercise any function of,

a local or public authority.

(5)
An order under this section may include more than one scheme.

(6)
An order under this section has effect despite any statutory or other restriction on

the disclosure of information (but may not permit disclosure in breach of

subsection (7)).

(7)
Information provided to a registration officer under an order under this section

may not be disclosed to a person other than one to whom the officer may delegate

his or her functions, except—

(a)
for the purpose mentioned in subsection (2), or

(b)
for the purposes of any criminal or civil proceedings.


A person who discloses information in breach of this subsection is guilty of an

offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the

standard scale.

(8)
An order under this section may contain incidental, supplemental, transitional or

saving provision.

(9)
An order under this section must not be made unless a draft of the statutory

instrument containing it has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of,

each House of Parliament.

(10)
In this section—

“false”, in relation to a signature, means that the signature is not the usual

signature of, or was written by a person other than, the person whose

signature it purports to be;

“specified” means specified in an order under this section;

“register”, in relation to a registration officer, means a register maintained

by that officer under section 9 of the 1983 Act;

Notices of Amendments: 24 February 2009
144

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

“registered person” means a person registered in such a register;

“registration officer” has the same meaning as in the 1983 Act (see section

8 of that Act) except that it does not include the Chief Electoral Officer

for Northern Ireland.’.

Schemes under section [Schemes for provision of data to registration officers]: proposals,

consultation and evaluation

Secretary Jack Straw

NC22

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
A scheme may be included in an order under section [Schemes for provision of

data to registration officers] only if a proposal has been submitted to the

Secretary of State by the registration officer to whom the scheme relates and the

scheme gives effect to the proposal, either—

(a)
without modification, or

(b)
with modifications suggested by the Secretary of State and agreed to by

the officer.

(2)
The Secretary of State may not make an order under section [Schemes for

provision of data to registration officers] without first consulting—

(a)
the Electoral Commission;

(b)
any person authorised or required by the order to provide information to

a registration officer;

(c)
the Information Commissioner.

(3)
An order under section [Schemes for provision of data to registration officers]

must specify a date (the “evaluation date”) for each scheme included in the order.


The Electoral Commission must prepare a report on the operation of each scheme

and, no later than the evaluation date, give a copy of it—

(a)
to the registration officer concerned, and

(b)
to the Secretary of State.

(4)
A report under subsection (3) must set out the terms of the scheme and must

contain—

(a)
a description of the scheme;

(b)
an assessment of the matters set out in subsection (5);

(c)
anything else specified in the order under section [Schemes for provision

of data to registration officers].

(5)
The matters are—

(a)
the extent to which the scheme has achieved the purpose mentioned in

section [Schemes for provision of data to registration officers](2);

(b)
whether there was any objection to the scheme, and if so how much;

(c)
how easy the scheme was to administer;

(d)
the extent to which the scheme resulted in savings of time and costs, or

the opposite.

(6)
The registration officer concerned—

(a)
must give the Electoral Commission whatever assistance they reasonably

require in connection with the preparation of the report;

(b)
must publish the report in whatever way the officer thinks appropriate.

Notices of Amendments: 24 February 2009
145

Political Parties and Elections Bill, continued

(7)
In this section “registration officer” and “scheme” mean the same as in section

[Schemes for provision of data to registration officers].’.