Press Releases

Press Release regarding the disclosure of donations received in 2007 by political parties

Date Released: 19.06.2008

Figures released today by the Standards in Public Office Commission reveal that political parties disclosed donations worth €266,485 for 2007 .

Each of the 14 registered political parties is required under the Electoral Act 1997 as amended (the Act) to furnish a Donation Statement to the Standards Commission disclosing details of donations exceeding €5,078.95 in value received by them during 2007. The maximum value of donations which a political party can accept from the same donor in the same year is €6,348.69.

Donations disclosed by Sinn Féin (€187,223) and the Green Party (€29,750) were all made by their elected representatives. Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party each disclosed three donations totalling €19,044 and €18,648, respectively. Both Fine Gael and the Progressive Democrats furnished "nil" Donation Statements. Of the remaining eight political parties, only the Socialist Party disclosed donations (€11,820).

In the introduction to its report the Standards Commission provides a summary of the donations disclosed by the six main political parties and by their elected representatives and unsuccessful candidates at the Dáil general election. The total disclosed is compared with expenditure incurred by these parties and their candidates at the Dáil general election and shows that the total donations disclosed represents just 13% of reported election expenditure.

The Standards Commission suggests that if one of the purposes of the Act is to achieve transparency in how political parties are funded and in particular how political parties and their candidates fund election campaigns, then this part of the legislation is not achieving that purpose. The Standards Commission repeats its recommendation that a new approach to the general funding of political parties may be required. This approach would require political parties to furnish accounts to an independent authority. These accounts, which would specify all donations received by the party and disclose details of donations over a certain value, would be published. The Standards Commission recommends that any review of the provisions of the Act which may be undertaken as part of the proposal (in the Programme for Government) to establish an Electoral Commission should consider this suggestion.

The report also gives details of the donations disclosed by political parties and a summary of returns furnished to the Standards Commission by the "accounting units" of 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 this information is also available on the Standards Commission's website.

Here is a link to the Standards Commission's report to the Ceann Comhairle

Telephone: 01-6395666
Fax: 01-6395684
email: sipo@sipo.gov.ie
Website: http://www.sipo.gov.ie

For further information contact Aidan Moore (01) 6395712

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