Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

1436081

registered interest
date	25/02/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to bring into force the un-commenced provisions of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009, regarding donations from non-resident donors.
tabling member printed	Lord Rennard
uin	HL6457
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to bring into force the uncommenced provisions of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 regarding donations from non-resident donors.</p><p>As set out in a related answer to a question from <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fquestions-statements.parliament.uk%2Fwritten-questions%2Fdetail%2F2019-06-25%2F268970&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40levellingup.gov.uk%7C3163853efe774557d84d08d9fdd4200a%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637819909769752213%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=sXuNbZH3by8Oou0%2BO%2BEkT36i7qCPVFy3HmE4pd6ypPI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Jon Trickett MP (268970</a>) (attached), it is the view of the Government that this provision is not workable given that an individual’s tax status is subject to confidentiality between them and HMRC.</p><p>Further, taxation is not connected to enfranchisement in the UK and 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.</p><p>Registered overseas electors are eligible to make political donations and it is only right that they should be able to donate in the same way as other UK citizens registered on the electoral roll.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 14/03/2022 11:59:02 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh attachment 1 file name 220310 Written questions and answers - HL6457.pdf title Question from Jon Trickett MP
tabling member	2484 label Biography information for Lord Rennard

1416136

registered interest
date	24/01/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make it a criminal offence for foreign governments to channel funds in excess of a limit of £5,000 into the (1) personal, or (2) business, accounts of individual parliamentarians.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5601
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>There are rules in place to ensure that only those with a legitimate interest can make political donations. All MPs and members of political parties are regulated donees and can only accept donations of more than £500 made to them in connection with their political activities if it is from a permissible donor. Donations from individuals not on the UK electoral register, such as foreign donors, are not allowed.</p><p>In addition, Members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords must provide information on any financial or non-financial benefit which might reasonably be thought by others to influence their actions or words as Members of Parliament.</p><p>However, we know that in very rare instances, malign actors disguise their links to foreign Governments. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect the UK against foreign interference. The Government has structures in place to identify foreign interference or any potential threats to democracy and, where necessary, take proportionate action to mitigate them.</p><p>As set out in the Queen’s Speech, the Government is bringing forward new Counter State Threats legislation to give the intelligence agencies and law enforcement the tools they need to tackle the diversifying and evolving threats we face.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 07/02/2022 17:32:37 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1378863

registered interest
date	16/11/2021
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing measures to require unincorporated associations that make political contributions in a year totalling above £7,500 or above to report gifts received above £7,500.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	75811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2021 answer text <p>Unincorporated associations making political contributions of more than £25,000 in a calendar year must notify the Electoral Commission and are then subsequently subject to various reporting requirements relating to their own funding. Members’ associations (many of which are unincorporated associations) are separately regulated as regulated donees and must report on donations and loans they receive. The rules are outlined at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.electoralcommission.org.uk%2Funincorporated-associations&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7Cd4aad1c86d2d4c80aa6208d9af6c4753%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637733701843693710%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=SNoE3JDXq93YtU8Y047%2BHzfc0TQJKWsZadKfGvo1MK0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/unincorporated-associations</a>.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 24/11/2021 17:34:25 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1378864

registered interest
date	16/11/2021
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will consult on the maximum fine the Electoral Commission can impose on individuals and organisations for breaking political finance rules.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	75812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2021 answer text <p>The Electoral Commission may impose monetary penalties of up to £20,000 per offence. Criminal matters can be referred to the police. The courts may levy unlimited fines and custodial sentences for some offences, as laid out in the Political Parties Elections and Referendum Act 2000 (as amended).</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 24/11/2021 17:33:49 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1378675

registered interest
date	15/11/2021
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing measures to prevent (a) regulated donees from accepting donations or loans from people who are (i) not domiciled in the UK and (ii) non-resident for tax purposes and (b) regulated donees and non-party campaigners from accepting donations or loans from people who are not tax compliant.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	75177
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2021 answer text <p>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. If one can vote for a party, then one should be able to donate to it. Foreign donations are banned.</p><p>Election law already allows for registered British expatriates to vote in UK Parliamentary elections, and also to make donations (up to 15 years from leaving the UK). The Election Bill makes no change to that principle, merely it removes the arbitrary 15 year period.</p><p>Since the adoption of universal suffrage, taxation has never been the basis for enfranchisement in our democracy. Some British citizens who work abroad, and who can already vote under the current ‘15 year rule’, only pay tax in the overseas country in which they work. Equally, other British expatriates will currently pay tax on their pensions, property and investments in the UK, but still not have a right to vote.</p><p>Within 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 rightly still have the right to vote in local elections for the local authority which sets that council tax.</p><p>I also refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 1 July 2019, Official Report, UIN 268969, on the flaws with provisions in the last Labour Government's Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.</p><p>The Elections Bill does provide for separate measures to prevent backdoor foreign spending.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 24/11/2021 18:26:37 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1253386

registered interest
date	18/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
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.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Colum Eastwood
uin	117395
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2020 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> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 23/11/2020 14:57:20 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4846 label Biography information for Colum Eastwood

1244737

registered interest
date	19/10/2020
answering body	Leader of the House of Lords
answering dept id	92
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Leader of the House of Lords
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
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.
tabling member printed	Lord Mann
uin	HL9304
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2020 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> answering member printed Baroness Evans of Bowes Park question first answered 22/10/2020 10:56:00 answering member 4329 label Biography information for Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
tabling member	1387 label Biography information for Lord Mann

1243613

registered interest
date	14/10/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
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.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL9192
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2020 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> answering member printed Lord True question first answered 28/10/2020 17:59:52 answering member 4200 label Biography information for Lord True
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

1242235

registered interest
date	12/10/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
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.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL9043
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2020 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> answering member printed Lord True question first answered 26/10/2020 17:06:57 answering member 4200 label Biography information for Lord True
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

1239478

registered interest
date	30/09/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Political Parties: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
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.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL8620
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 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> answering member printed Lord True question first answered 14/10/2020 15:31:46 answering member 4200 label Biography information for Lord True
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle