Press Releases

Press Release re disclosure by political parties of donations received in 2009

Date Released: 18.05.2010

Politcal Parties disclose donations received in 2009

Figures released today by the Standards in Public Office Commission show that political parties disclosed donations worth €76,617.05 for 2009. This is the lowest figure ever disclosed since the law requiring disclosure was commenced in 1997.

Donations disclosed by the Green Party (€38,088) and Sinn Féin (€24,000) were from their elected members. The donation disclosed by the Socialist Party (€5,819.55) was from Mr Joe Higgins MEP. The Christian Solidarity Party received a donation, in the nature of a bequest, of €8,709.50. As the maximum donation which a political party may accept is €6,348.69, the excess of €2,360.81 was remitted to the Standards Commission as is required under the Electoral Act 1997. This amount was then sent on to the Minister of Finance.

In its report, the Standards Commission welcomes the recommendations of the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) report published in January 2010. The GRECO recommendations include -

• that all legislation be consolidated in a comprehensive, clear and up-to-date manner within the electoral code;
• that all political parties be legally required to publish independently audited annual accounts. These accounts should also report on income and expenditure of local branches;
• that the current disclosure threshold of €5,078.95 (donations received by political parties) be lowered to an "appropriate level" and the registration of all political donations;
• a call for reform to bring "greater clarity" to electoral and anti-bribery codes and laws together with their enforcement (this includes a recommendation that party finance legislation be consolidated in a comprehensive, clear and up-to-date manner within the Electoral Code);
• the extension of the period during which political parties have to report election spending. Currently political parties and candidates only have to report on how much they spent for about three weeks prior to the election, i.e., from the date the election is called to polling day;
• to ensure that all violations of political funding rules are "coupled with effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions";
• to allow that the Standards Commission (or the yet-to-be created Electoral Commission) will have additional oversight of donations and spending in local government elections.

During 2009, 15 political parties were registered to contest Dáil or European elections. Each of these parties was required to furnish a Donation Statement in respect of 2009 to the Standards Commission. Donations exceeding €5,078.95 in value received by them during 2009 were required to be disclosed. The maximum value of donations which a political party can accept from the same donor in the same year is €6,348.69.

The Standards Commission's report gives details of the donations disclosed by political parties. Donation Statements furnished to the Standards Commission may be inspected and copied by members of the public at its offices at 18 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2. A summary of information contained in the Donation Statements is also available on the Standards Commission's website.

Telephone 01 - 6395666
Fax 01 - 6395684
e-mail sipo@sipo.gov.ie
website www.sipo.gov.ie

Report on the disclosure by political parties of donations received in 2009

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