PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
9.1. Financial assistance to assist an opposition
party in carrying out its parliamentary business shall be available
if—
a) There are at that time at least two Members
of the House who are members of the party and who were elected
at the previous General Election after contesting it as candidates
for the party, or
b) There is at that time one such Member who
was so elected and the aggregate of the votes cast in favour of
all the party's candidates at that election was at least 150,000.
9.2. The amount of financial assistance which may
be given under the provision set out at paragraph 9.1 above to
any party in respect of the expenses incurred by it in any period
shall be the aggregate of—
a) The first relevant amount for that period
multiplied by the number of seats won by its candidates at the
Election; and
b) The second relevant amount for that period
multiplied by one two-hundredth of the number of votes cast for
its candidates at that Election (rounded down to the nearest whole
number).
9.3. The first relevant amount shall be £14,015
and for any subsequent period of one year beginning with 1 April
the first relevant amount shall be that amount for the previous
period but increased by the appropriate percentage for the subsequent
period; and the second relevant amount shall be £27.99, and
for any subsequent period of one year beginning with 1 April the
second relevant amount shall be that amount for the previous period
but increased by the appropriate percentage for the subsequent
period.
9.4. The appropriate percentage for any period is
the percentage by which the Retail Prices Index for the month
of December immediately preceding that period has increased compared
with the Retail Prices Index for the previous December.
9.5. Financial assistance provided under the terms
of this provision shall be paid in arrears, at intervals of not
less than one month.
9.6. Without prejudice to the generality of the provision
set out at paragraph 9.1 above, financial assistance towards travelling
and associated expenses necessarily incurred by an opposition
party's spokesman in relation to the party's parliamentary business
shall be available if one of the conditions specified at paragraph
9.1 above is satisfied with respect to the party.
9.7. The maximum amount of financial assistance which
may be given under the provision set out at paragraph 9.6 above
to any party in respect of the expenses incurred in any period
shall be such of the available amount for that period as may be
allocated to the party in accordance with any apportionment as
set out at paragraph 9.8 below.
9.8. The available amount for any period shall be
apportioned between each of the opposition parties in the same
proportion as the amount of financial assistance which may be
given to each of them under the provisions set out at paragraph
9.1 above for that period or for any period forming part of that
period.
9.9. The available amount for the period of a year
beginning 1 April 2009 shall be £153,956. The available amount
for any subsequent period is the available amount for the previous
period, increased by the appropriate percentage (as specified
at paragraph 9.4 above) for the subsequent period.
9.10. Financial assistance shall be available for
the costs necessarily incurred in the running of the Office of
the Leader of the Opposition. For the period of one year beginning
with 1 April 2009, the amount of financial assistance which
may be given under this paragraph in respect of expenses incurred
in that period shall be £652,936. For any subsequent period
of one year beginning with 1 April the relevant amount shall be
that amount for the previous period but increased by the appropriate
percentage (as specified at paragraph 9.4 above).
9.11. Financial assistance under the provisions set
out at paragraph 9.1 above shall be paid in arrears, at intervals
of not less than one month.
9.12. Any claims for financial assistance towards
travelling expenses incurred by an opposition party spokesman
in relation to the party's parliamentary business as set out at
paragraph 9.6 above are to be made to the Accounting Officer of
the House; and a party claiming such assistance shall—
a) Furnish that Officer with a statement of the
facts on which the claim is based, and
b) Certify to that Officer that the expenses
which are claimed have been incurred exclusively in relation to
the party's parliamentary business in accordance with the provisions
set out at paragraph 9.6 above.
9.13. As soon as practicable, but no later than nine
months after 31 March each year, a party claiming financial assistance
under the provisions set out at paragraphs 9.1 to 9.11 above shall
furnish the Accounting Officer of the House with the certificate
of an independent professional auditor, in a form determined by
the Accounting Officer, to the effect that all expenses in respect
of which the party received financial assistance during the period
ending with that day were incurred exclusively in relation to
the party's parliamentary business.
9.14. If an audit certificate as referred to at paragraph
9.13 above has not been furnished within the time specified, no
further financial assistance under the provisions set out at paragraphs
9.1 to 9.11 above shall be paid until such a certificate is furnished.
9.15. In the case of any year in which there is a
General Election—
a) The period ending immediately before the date
of the Election, and
b) The period beginning with that date
shall be treated for the purposes of the provisions
set out at paragraphs 9.1 to 9.11 above as separate periods.
9.16. In relation to any such separate periods—
a) The first relevant amount and the second relevant
amount for the period ending immediately before the date of the
General Election shall be apportioned according to the number
of days in that period as a proportion of the total number of
days in the year in question, and
b) The available amount for the period beginning
with the date of the General Election shall be a proportionate
part of the available amount for the year in question.
9.17. In relation to any such separate period ending
immediately before the date of the election, the provisions set
out at paragraph 9.13 above shall have effect as if the 31 March
referred to were a reference to the day immediately before the
date of the Election.
9.18. The cost of providing financial assistance
shall be borne on the House of Commons: Members' salaries etc
Vote. (26 May 1999; MEC, 15 March 2004)
REPRESENTATIVE BUSINESS
9.19. Financial assistance shall be provided, with
effect from 1 November 2005, to any opposition party represented
by Members who have chosen not to take their seats and thus do
not qualify to participate in the proceedings in Parliament, towards
expenses wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for the
employment of staff and related support to Members designated
as that party's spokesmen in relation to the party's representative
business.
9.20. The amount of financial assistance payable
to a party shall be calculated and paid by analogy with paragraphs
9.1 to 9.9 and 9.11 above.
9.21. As soon as practicable, but no later than nine
months after 31 March each year, a party claiming financial assistance
under paragraph 9.19 above shall furnish the Accounting Officer
of the House with the certificate of an independent professional
auditor, in a form determined by the Accounting Officer, to the
effect that all expenses in respect of which the party received
financial assistance during the period ending with that day were
incurred exclusively in accordance with paragraph 9.19 above.
9.22. If an audit certificate under paragraph 9.21
above has not been furnished within the time specified no further
financial assistance under paragraph 9.19 shall be paid until
such a certificate is so furnished. (8 February 2006)
