28. Are there provisions for direct public funding to political parties?

The process for receiving the grant : Eligible parties must submit an application outlining their planned/intended policy development activities for the coming year. We review the application and if we approve it we advance up to 75% of their grant allocation.At the end of the year parties submit a final cost report detailing their actual activities and expenditure. We visit the parties and review evidence that the policy activity eligible for support from PDG payments did take place, and also the evidence of expenditure so that the PDG money can be verified. We will then pay or recover any amounts owing or recoverable depending on the outcome of these reviews.It is common practice for parties to present evidence of spending on eligible activities in excess of their grant allocation both to ensure they receive the full amount and, for completeness to avoid having to select policy development activities not to claim for. The grant payable however is capped at their allocation. Source: Commission  at the webpage https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/political-parties-campaigning-and-donations/public-funding-for-parties

2)For the purposes of this Part the following are permissible donors—

(a)an individual registered in an electoral register;

(b)a company—

(i)registered under the Companies Act 2006], and

(ii)incorporated within the United Kingdom or another member State,

which carries on business in the United Kingdom;

(c)a registered party, other than a Gibraltar party whose entry in the register includes a statement that it intends to contest one or more elections to the European Parliament in the combined region];

(d)a trade union entered in the list kept under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 or the Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992;

(e)a building society (within the meaning of the Building Societies Act 1986);

(f)a limited liability partnership registered under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000, or any corresponding enactment in force in Northern Ireland, which carries on business in the United Kingdom;

(g)a friendly society registered under the Friendly Societies Act 1974 [F4, a registered society within the meaning of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 or a society registered (or deemed to be registered) under] the Industrial and Provident Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969; and

(h)any unincorporated association of two or more persons which does not fall within any of the preceding paragraphs but which carries on business or other activities wholly or mainly in the United Kingdom and whose main office is there. Source: Article 54, Political Parties and Referendums Act, 2000

(4)For the purposes of this Schedule the political activities of a party member or (as the case may be) of a members association include, in particular—

(a)promoting or procuring the election of any person to any position in, or to any committee of, the party in question;

(b)promoting or procuring the selection of any person as the party’s candidate for election to a relevant elective office; and

(c)promoting or developing policies with a view to their adoption by the party;

and in the application of paragraph (a) or (b) to a party member the reference to any person includes that member. Source: Schedule 7 (4), Political Parties and Referendums Act, 2000

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