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1132688

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	20/06/2019
	date	17/06/2019
	date tabled	17/06/2019
	ddp created	18/06/2019 09:54:08
	answering body	Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	36
	answering dept short name	Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
	answering dept sort name	Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
	ddp modified	18/06/2019 15:15:10 24/06/2019 10:30:02
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	1
	identifier	911478
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	57
	question first answered	24/06/2019 09:58:46
	question text	To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission plans to review the ability of UK political parties and campaigns to receive micro-funding from overseas donors.
	session	2017/19
	session number	1
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
	tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2017/19 911478
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	911478
	version	2
	written parliamentary question type	NamedDay
	answer	answer answer text <p>Electoral law allows parties to adopt a fundraising strategy that focusses on raising funds in small amounts. A positive aspect of this is broad engagement of people in politics.</p><p>Parliament set a threshold of £500, above which donations must be from permissible sources. This is to limit influence from outside the UK on our elections and democracy. Below the threshold, sums given to parties and campaigners are not considered to be donations under law, but recipients still need to satisfy themselves who is giving these sums. Multiple sums from a single source could aggregate to above £500 triggering the permissibility rules. This would exclude overseas donors not on the UK electoral register.</p><p>Parties must have systems in place to comply with the rules, and the Commission provides advice to parties and campaigners about how to ensure that they do. If the current law is complied with, there is no reason why micro funding would result in impermissible donations from overseas donors. However, if it is considered that confidence in this needs to be improved by more transparency, the level of the £500 threshold could be lowered by Parliament.</p>
	creator	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1133264

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	24/06/2019
	date	19/06/2019
	date tabled	19/06/2019
	ddp created	19/06/2019 18:00:30
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	ddp modified	19/06/2019 18:11:03 24/06/2019 16:57:03
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	1
	identifier	266672
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	57
	question first answered	24/06/2019 16:25:16
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason the Government has not issued a commencement order for Section 10 of the Political Parties Act 2009, in relation to non-resident donors.
	session	2017/19
	session number	1
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2017/19 266672
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	266672
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	NamedDay
	answer	answer answer text <p>Successive Governments have considered section 10 of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 to be unworkable</p><p>There is already a robust legal framework in place to ensure only individuals that are registered on the electoral register and organisations that carry out business in the UK can<br>make donations to political organisations in the UK</p><p>In May this year, the Government announced it will consult on strengthening the current provisions which protect UK politics from foreign influence. The consultation may consider<br>recommendations on foreign spending in elections and donations from shell companies.</p>
	creator	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1134466

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	01/07/2019
	date	25/06/2019
	date tabled	25/06/2019
	ddp created	25/06/2019 16:55:28
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	ddp modified	25/06/2019 17:05:23 01/07/2019 10:04:03
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	1
	identifier	268969
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	57
	question first answered	01/07/2019 09:32:22
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2019 to Question 266672 on Political Parties: Finance, for what reason the Government considers Section 10 of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 to be unworkable.
	session	2017/19
	session number	1
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2017/19 268969
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	268969
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	NamedDay
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Coalition Government took the decision not to implement the 2009 legislation, as it was not deemed to be workable, and the Conservative Government continues to hold this view.</p><p>During the passage of the 2009 Act, the Electoral Commission raised concerns about the legislation (further to Official Report, 15 October 2009, Col. 998W), and in 2013, the Electoral Commission also flagged issues about the tax status declaration requirements. The Labour Government conceded that the provisions could not be commenced at that time “due to their complex nature” (as outlined in the answer of Official Report, 10 March 2010, Col. 5MC).</p><p> </p><p>An individual’s tax status is subject to confidentiality between them and HMRC. It may therefore be difficult or impossible for the political party and the Electoral Commission to accurately determine whether a donor meets the permissibility test set out section 10 in the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.</p><p>The Government also has a principled objection to the measures:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The UK has a robust legal framework in place that bans foreign donations. There is a long-standing principle – as originally recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 – that permissible donors are those on the UK electoral register, and this includes UK citizens who are registered overseas electors. Companies wishing to make donations must be UK-registered and carrying on business in the UK.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>If a British citizen is able to vote in an election for a political party, they should also be able to donate to that political party, subject to the requirements for transparency on donations. Supporting a political party is part of the democratic process, and is an expression of freedom of association.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Since the adoption of universal suffrage, taxation has never been the basis of enfranchisement in the UK. Those who do not pay income tax, such as those earning less than the tax-free personal allowance, rightly remain entitled to vote. Similarly, full-time students are legally exempt from paying council tax, but still have the right to vote in local elections.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Notwithstanding, as I stated in my previous answer, the Government has announced it will consult on strengthening the current provisions which protect UK politics from foreign influence. The consultation may consider recommendations on tackling loopholes in relation to foreign spending in elections and donations from shell companies which are not properly operating in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, since 2010, the Government has taken action to sanction and deter those involved in offshore evasion, including creating a new criminal offence for serious offshore evasion, and introducing penalties for those who deliberately help others to evade tax offshore. The Government has introduced over 100 new measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion and non-compliance.</p>
	creator	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1134468

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	01/07/2019
	date	25/06/2019
	date tabled	25/06/2019
	ddp created	25/06/2019 16:55:35
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	ddp modified	25/06/2019 17:05:28 01/07/2019 10:04:01
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	1
	identifier	268970
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	57
	question first answered	01/07/2019 09:32:44
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has received representations from the Electoral Commission on the workability of section 10 of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.
	session	2017/19
	session number	1
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2017/19 268970
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	268970
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	NamedDay
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Coalition Government took the decision not to implement the 2009 legislation, as it was not deemed to be workable, and the Conservative Government continues to hold this view.</p><p>During the passage of the 2009 Act, the Electoral Commission raised concerns about the legislation (further to Official Report, 15 October 2009, Col. 998W), and in 2013, the Electoral Commission also flagged issues about the tax status declaration requirements. The Labour Government conceded that the provisions could not be commenced at that time “due to their complex nature” (as outlined in the answer of Official Report, 10 March 2010, Col. 5MC).</p><p> </p><p>An individual’s tax status is subject to confidentiality between them and HMRC. It may therefore be difficult or impossible for the political party and the Electoral Commission to accurately determine whether a donor meets the permissibility test set out section 10 in the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.</p><p>The Government also has a principled objection to the measures:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The UK has a robust legal framework in place that bans foreign donations. There is a long-standing principle – as originally recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 – that permissible donors are those on the UK electoral register, and this includes UK citizens who are registered overseas electors. Companies wishing to make donations must be UK-registered and carrying on business in the UK.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>If a British citizen is able to vote in an election for a political party, they should also be able to donate to that political party, subject to the requirements for transparency on donations. Supporting a political party is part of the democratic process, and is an expression of freedom of association.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Since the adoption of universal suffrage, taxation has never been the basis of enfranchisement in the UK. Those who do not pay income tax, such as those earning less than the tax-free personal allowance, rightly remain entitled to vote. Similarly, full-time students are legally exempt from paying council tax, but still have the right to vote in local elections.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Notwithstanding, as I stated in my previous answer, the Government has announced it will consult on strengthening the current provisions which protect UK politics from foreign influence. The consultation may consider recommendations on tackling loopholes in relation to foreign spending in elections and donations from shell companies which are not properly operating in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, since 2010, the Government has taken action to sanction and deter those involved in offshore evasion, including creating a new criminal offence for serious offshore evasion, and introducing penalties for those who deliberately help others to evade tax offshore. The Government has introduced over 100 new measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion and non-compliance.</p>
	creator	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1135945

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	04/07/2019
	date	01/07/2019
	date tabled	01/07/2019
	ddp created	01/07/2019 21:46:39
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	ddp modified	01/07/2019 22:01:52 04/07/2019 10:31:07
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	1
	identifier	271380
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	57
	question first answered	04/07/2019 09:59:54
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2017 to Question 268970, whether his Department received proposals from the Electoral Commission on the implementation of section 10 of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.
	session	2017/19
	session number	1
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2017/19 271380
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	271380
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	NamedDay
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Electoral Commission set out their concerns and recommendations for implementation in their 2013 report ‘<em>A regulatory review of the UK’s party and election finance laws: Recommendations for change</em>’.</p>
	creator	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1239478

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	14/10/2020
	date	30/09/2020
	date tabled	30/09/2020
	ddp created	30/09/2020 22:05:58
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	ddp modified	30/09/2020 22:15:23 14/10/2020 16:03:08
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	2
	identifier	HL8620
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	parliament number	58
	question first answered	14/10/2020 15:31:46
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to monitor (1) the level of political funding from companies and individuals associated with (a) the arms trade, (b) tobacco companies (c) private medical companies, (d) pharmaceutical companies, and (e) the financial sector, and (2) the percentage, individually and collectively, that funding by companies and individuals constitutes of the total amount of political spending.
	session	2019/21
	session number	1
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	title	House of Lords Tabled Parliamentary Question 2019/21 HL8620
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8620
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>Lawfully constituted UK companies may make permissible political donations. The Electoral Commission is responsible for regulating party financing. The Commission publishes information relating to donations and loans over £7,500, including the name of the donor and other appropriate such as their address and company registration number. Details are available online.</p>
	creator	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	publisher	25277 pref label House of Lords
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1242235

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	26/10/2020
	date	12/10/2020
	date tabled	12/10/2020
	ddp created	12/10/2020 21:06:16
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	ddp modified	12/10/2020 21:25:11 26/10/2020 17:38:11
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	2
	identifier	HL9043
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	parliament number	58
	question first answered	26/10/2020 17:06:57
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the levels at which donations to political parties are recordable and reportable.
	session	2019/21
	session number	1
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	title	House of Lords Tabled Parliamentary Question 2019/21 HL9043
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9043
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>UK electoral law sets out a stringent regime of donations controls to ensure that only those with a genuine interest in UK electoral events can donate to political parties and to ensure transparency of those donations.</p><p>All donations over £500 need to be recorded by political parties and checked for permissibility. Certain donations need to be reported to the Electoral Commission, including all donations from impermissible donors, all donations over £7,500 and donations that are over £1,500 and come from a source that parties have already reported in the same calendar year. To ensure transparency about party funding, donation reports are published by the Electoral Commission on its website.</p><p>The Government is committed to upholding the integrity of our electoral system. As part of that, we are taking forward a programme of work that will strengthen and update the UK’s electoral regulation to ensure it is fit for the modern age; provides a robust framework for campaign finance; and supports public confidence in our processes.</p>
	creator	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	publisher	25277 pref label House of Lords
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

1243613

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	28/10/2020
	date	14/10/2020
	date tabled	14/10/2020
	ddp created	14/10/2020 21:06:42
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	ddp modified	14/10/2020 21:16:20 28/10/2020 18:31:18
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	2
	identifier	HL9192
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	parliament number	58
	question first answered	28/10/2020 17:59:52
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of raising the recordable and reportable donation thresholds for registered political parties in the UK.
	session	2019/21
	session number	1
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	title	House of Lords Tabled Parliamentary Question 2019/21 HL9192
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9192
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to PQ <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-10-12/hl9043" target="_blank">HL9043</a> on 26 October 2020.</p>
	creator	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	publisher	25277 pref label House of Lords
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

1244737

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	02/11/2020
	date	19/10/2020
	date tabled	19/10/2020
	ddp created	19/10/2020 22:06:26
	answering body	Leader of the House of Lords
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	92
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name	Leader of the House of Lords
	ddp modified	19/10/2020 22:25:39 22/10/2020 11:26:54
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	2
	identifier	HL9304
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	parliament number	58
	question first answered	22/10/2020 10:56:00
	question text	To ask the Leader of the House how much Cranborne money has been budgeted to (1) the Labour party, (2) the Liberal Democrat party, (3) the office of the Convenor of the Crossbench Peers, and (4) any other groups or parties in the House of Lords, in the current financial year.
	session	2019/21
	session number	1
	tabling member printed	Lord Mann
	title	House of Lords Tabled Parliamentary Question 2019/21 HL9304
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9304
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>For the 2020-21 financial year, the maximum amount available for financial assistance to opposition parties and the Convenor of the Crossbench Peers (“Cranborne money”) is as follows:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>Labour - £656,948</p></li><li><p>Liberal Democrats - £328,008</p></li><li><p>Office of the Convenor of the Crossbench peers - £ 99,770</p></li></ul><p> </p><p>No other groups or parties are able to claim it.</p>
	creator	1387 label Biography information for Lord Mann
	publisher	25277 pref label House of Lords
	tabling member	1387 label Biography information for Lord Mann

1253386

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	23/11/2020
	date	18/11/2020
	date tabled	18/11/2020
	ddp created	18/11/2020 21:31:41
	answering body	Treasury
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	ddp modified	18/11/2020 21:42:46 23/11/2020 15:29:09
	hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
	house id	1
	identifier	117395
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	58
	question first answered	23/11/2020 14:57:20
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) financial support to furlough staff employed by and (b) other financial support for political parties has been allocated (i) intentionally and (ii) in error during the covid-19 outbreak.
	session	2019/21
	session number	1
	tabling member constituency	Foyle
	tabling member printed	Colum Eastwood
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2019/21 117395
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	117395
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	NamedDay
	answer	answer answer text <p>HMRC are not able to provide information on political parties or any other specific organisations that may have received financial support from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).</p><p> </p><p>This is because of HMRC’s duty of confidentiality. HMRC cannot publish identifying information that relates to their functions, which includes the CJRS, unless there is an appropriate legal basis for publication. No such legal basis was in place for the CJRS prior to 12 November 2020 when the latest CJRS Direction was signed.</p><p> </p><p>In line with the published direction, as part of HMRC’s commitment to transparency and to deter fraudulent claims, HMRC will publish information about employers who claim for periods starting on or after 1 December 2020.</p>
	creator	4846 label Biography information for Colum Eastwood
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	4846 label Biography information for Colum Eastwood