29/04/09 - Donations Disclosed by TDs, Senators and MEPs for 2008

Part 6 - Political Donations Accounts/Certificates of Monetary Donations

Section 23B(1) of the Act requires TDs, Senators and MEPs who receive a monetary donation exceeding €126.97 to open and maintain a political donations account. This requirement commenced with effect from 1 January 2002. If a TD, Senator or MEP received a monetary donation exceeding €126.97 after that date (including as a candidate at a Dáil, Seanad or European Parliament election) he/she was required to open and maintain a political donations account and to lodge the initial donation and all subsequent monetary donations of whatever value to the account.

Section 23B(3) of the Act provides that a TD, Senator or MEP who was required to open a political donations account, must furnish with his/her annual Donation Statement (referred to in Part 2 above) a statement from the financial institution where the political donations account is held specifying the transactions that have taken place in relation to the account during the preceding year. He or she must also certify that all monetary donations received during the preceding year were lodged to the account and that all amounts debited from the account were used for political purposes.

The certificate must be in a form determined by the Standards Commission and, in accordance with section 23B(6) of the Act, must be accompanied by a statutory declaration that, to the best of the person's knowledge and belief, the certificate is correct in every material respect and that all reasonable action has been taken in order to be satisfied as to its accuracy. The Standards Commission produced a Certificate of Monetary Donations/Statutory Declaration form (08/CMD) for use in respect of 2008. The form was enclosed with the Donation Statement form issued to TDs, Senators and MEPs. It was also required to be completed and returned to the Standards Commission by 31 January 2009.

A TD, Senator, MEP or former member whose political donations account was not active during 2008 was required only to state this on the CMD form and was not required to complete the Statutory Declaration or to forward a copy of the bank statement for 2008. The Standards Commission is still following up enquiries made with some TDs and Senators regarding their political donations accounts.

The following is the position with regard to political donations accounts held by TDs, Senators and MEPs:

• 164 TDs furnished Donation Statements for 2008. 34 stated that they did not have a political donations account. Of the 130 TDs who stated that they had a political donations account, 51 stated that there were no transactions on the account during 2008.
• 60 Senators furnished Donation Statements for 2008. 25 stated that they did not have a political donations account. Of the 35 Senators who stated that they had a political donations account, 12 stated that there were no transactions on the account during 2008.
• 13 MEPs furnished Donation Statements for 2008. Six stated that they did not have a political donations account. Of the seven MEPs who stated that they had a political donations account, five stated that there were no transactions on the account during 2008.

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