National Agents

The Electoral Acts require a political party with a candidate contesting a Dáil or European Parliament election to appoint a national agent. The national agent is the only person who can incur expenditure or make payments on behalf of the party at the election. (The agent can, however, authorise other persons to incur expenditure or make payments on the agent's behalf.)

A political party must provide details of its national agent to the Standards Commission not later than the last day for receiving nominations at an election. If this information has not been provided to the Standards Commission within that time period, the party's Appropriate Officer will be deemed to be its national agent for the election. (Further information regarding the obligations attaching to Appropriate Officers is available on the Appropriate Officers page). If an Appropriate Officer has not been appointed, the party leader will be deemed to be the party's national agent for the election.

A candidate contesting an election on behalf of a political party may assign a portion of his/her statutory spending limit to the party for spending at the election by the party's national agent. The only spending allowed on behalf of the party at the election is the sum of the amounts which have been assigned to the party by its candidates. Spending by the national agent can be incurred on the party's candidates and/or on the party's national campaign. Spending by the national agent on a particular candidate may not exceed the amount assigned to the party by that candidate.

The national agent is required to furnish an Election Expenses Statement and Statutory Declaration to the Standards Commission within 56 days after polling day. The Election Expenses Statement must show details of all expenses incurred and payments made by, or on behalf of, the national agent.

At a Presidential election, any expenditure incurred by a political party on behalf of a candidate must be authorised and accounted for by the candidate's election agent. There is no provision for appointing a national agent at a presidential election.

The following documents provide further information for national agents relating to their obligations under the Electoral Acts.

• Guidelines for the general election to the 30th Dáil
• Guidelines for the European Parliament election of 11 June 2004 (pdf 282kb)