HL9043<\/a> on 26 October 2020.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4200", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord True"}
}
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, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-10-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-10-28T17:59:52.337Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
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, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-10-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Political Parties: Finance"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4153", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Kennedy of Southwark"}
], "uin" : "HL9192"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1242235", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1242235/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "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>
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>
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\u2019s 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>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4200", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord True"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord True"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-10-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-10-26T17:06:57.087Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
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, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-10-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Political Parties: Finance"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the levels at which donations to political parties are recordable and reportable.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4153", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Kennedy of Southwark"}
], "uin" : "HL9043"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1239478", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1239478/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
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>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4200", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord True"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord True"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-10-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-10-14T15:31:46.353Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
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, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-09-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Political Parties: Finance"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4719", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle"}
], "uin" : "HL8620"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1135945", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1135945/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Electoral Commission set out their concerns and recommendations for implementation in their 2013 report \u2018A regulatory review of the UK\u2019s party and election finance laws: Recommendations for change<\/em>\u2019.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4451", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Foster"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Torbay"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kevin Foster"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-04T09:59:54.843Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "53"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Political Parties: Finance"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/410", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jon Trickett"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hemsworth"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jon Trickett"}
], "uin" : "271380"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1134466", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1134466/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "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>
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 \u201cdue to their complex nature\u201d (as outlined in the answer of Official Report, 10 March 2010, Col. 5MC).<\/p>
<\/p>
An individual\u2019s 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>
The Government also has a principled objection to the measures:<\/p>
<\/p>
- The UK has a robust legal framework in place that bans foreign donations. There is a long-standing principle \u2013 as originally recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 \u2013 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>
- 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>
- 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>
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>
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>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4451", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Foster"}
}
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]}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Political Parties: Finance"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/410", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jon Trickett"}
}
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, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jon Trickett"}
], "uin" : "268969"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1134468", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1134468/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
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>
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 \u201cdue to their complex nature\u201d (as outlined in the answer of Official Report, 10 March 2010, Col. 5MC).<\/p>
<\/p>
An individual\u2019s 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>
The Government also has a principled objection to the measures:<\/p>
<\/p>
- The UK has a robust legal framework in place that bans foreign donations. There is a long-standing principle \u2013 as originally recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 \u2013 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>
- 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>
- 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>
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>
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>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4451", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Foster"}
}
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, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/410", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jon Trickett"}
}
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, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jon Trickett"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1133264", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
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Successive Governments have considered section 10 of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 to be unworkable<\/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
make donations to political organisations in the UK<\/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
recommendations on foreign spending in elections and donations from shell companies.<\/p>"}
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}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Torbay"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kevin Foster"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-24T16:25:16.157Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Political Parties: Finance"}
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, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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