The Commission sought external legal advice on the requirement for the reporting of spending during the long campaign, after receiving feedback from political parties. That advice differed from the position established by the Commission. The Commission is now in the process of reflecting that advice in its guidance.<\/p>
The Commission has a responsibility to provide guidance for political parties and campaigners which helps them meet their legal obligations. It considers the impact that changes to its guidance have on its regulated community, but has a duty to accurately reflect the law.<\/p>
The Commission has a constructive relationship with the party panels, and it regularly consults on key areas of its work, both formally and informally. The Commission always welcomes feedback from political parties on areas where it can better help them meet their legal obligations.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Cat Smith"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lancaster and Fleetwood"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Cat Smith"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-04-26T10:02:35.32Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "36"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "General Elections: Expenditure"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance entitled Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, published on 6 March 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the changes from the guidance published ahead of the 2015 general election; and whether the Commission consulted political parties during the development of the revised guidance.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4866", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alexander Stafford"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rother Valley"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alexander Stafford"} ], "uin" : "23649"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713683", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713683/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
<\/em>The Electoral Commission\u2019s guidance aims to support campaigners to meet their obligations which are set by the UK\u2019s complex political finance laws. It develops guidance based on legal advice and interpretation of these laws.<\/p> The Commission sought additional external legal advice on reporting of spending during the long campaign and is in the process of reflecting that legal advice in guidance.<\/p> The guidance will provide clarity on the parts of the candidate spending laws that impact how a candidate should report spending in the long campaign.<\/p> It will also clarify that there is a requirement for a candidate return for spending during the long campaign and therefore spending is not reportable in a party return.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Cat Smith"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lancaster and Fleetwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Cat Smith"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-04-26T10:04:32.327Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "36"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "General Elections: Expenditure"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, what the evidential basis is for the assertion that an item of candidate spending provided by a party counts towards both (a) the long campaign spending limit for a candidate and (b) the party spending limit; how the treatment of notional expenditure and agent-authorised expenditure differs; and whether the Commission has made an assessment of the potential impact on party spending limits.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4866", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alexander Stafford"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rother Valley"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alexander Stafford"}
], "uin" : "23650"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713684", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713684/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Candidates have a legal requirement to submit a spending return for the long campaign to the Returning Officers who in turn must forward them to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission and Returning Officers must process the data in the return according to their respective functions as set on in UK law. All data collected by the Commission is processed according to its obligations under data protection laws.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Cat Smith"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lancaster and Fleetwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Cat Smith"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-04-26T10:05:46.6Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "36"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "General Elections: Expenditure"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, what assessment the Commission has made of the impact of General Data Protection Regulations on its (a) interpretations of and (b) guidance on long campaign returns and spending.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4866", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alexander Stafford"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rother Valley"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alexander Stafford"}
], "uin" : "23651"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713685", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713685/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " It is a requirement for candidates to provide any candidate spending during the long campaign in a return to their Returning Officer.<\/p> The Commission provides guidance for all candidates to help them meet their legal obligations, which is applicable to those Hon. Members seeking re-election at the next UK parliamentary general election.<\/p> It also provides additional bespoke advice and support to Hon. Members and their staff, as it does for all other political parties, campaigners and candidates.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Cat Smith"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lancaster and Fleetwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Cat Smith"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-04-26T10:06:39.607Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "36"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "General Elections: Expenditure"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, whether it is a requirement for a candidate to publish a candidate spending return for the long campaign; and what guidance the Commission has provided to hon. Members on that issue.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4866", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alexander Stafford"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rother Valley"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alexander Stafford"}
], "uin" : "23652"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713008", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713008/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department does not intend to assess the potential merits of adjusting the Minimum Income Floor (MIF). Relaxing or removing the MIF risks trapping customers indefinitely in very low-earning self-employment and dependency on the welfare system - a situation that is unfair to the taxpayer, and unhelpful for customers and their families.<\/p> <\/p> We are working with the National Farmers\u2019 Union (NFU) to ensure a smooth transition from the old legacy benefits to Universal Credit, as well as providing transitional protection when applicable.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4380", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jo Churchill"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bury St Edmunds"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jo Churchill"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-04-26T11:29:27.087Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-04-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Universal Credit"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting the minimum income floor for Universal Credit for (a) farmers and (b) other people whose income and expenditure varies during the year.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4402", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Douglas Chapman"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Dunfermline and West Fife"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Douglas Chapman"}
], "uin" : "23204"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713009", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Energy Security and Net Zero"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713009/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Net zero business sector roadmap guidelines were published in August 2023, providing a robust, credible and consistent set of criteria to support businesses in developing tailored action plans to reduce emissions.<\/p> <\/p> Industry representatives have led the development of roadmaps in priority sectors, which have been discussed by the Council to catalyse action across the economy and identify dependencies across sectors. This workstream is coordinated on behalf of the Council by the Broadway Initiative, who are exploring options for publication following the conclusion of the Council\u2019s review.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4105", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Tomlinson"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Swindon"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Justin Tomlinson"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-04-26T09:52:55.64Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "215"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Energy Security and Net Zero"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Energy Security and Net Zero"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-04-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Carbon Emissions: Business"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral Answer by the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero of 27 February 2024, Official Report, column 123, what her planned timescale is for publishing the Net Zero Council business sector roadmaps.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1491", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kerry McCarthy"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bristol East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kerry McCarthy"}
], "uin" : "23160"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713010", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Energy Security and Net Zero"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1713010/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "