19/12/08 - Report on Exchequer Funding received by Political Parties for 2007

Part 4 - Furnishing of Statements of Expenditure of Exchequer Funding and Auditor's Reports

Section 20 of the Act provides that the appropriate officer of each qualified party must furnish to the Standards Commission an Exchequer Expenditure Statement stating that funding received in respect of the preceding year was applied to some or all of the purposes referred to in section 18, and indicating the actual matters to which the funding was applied, including the amounts applied to the promotion of participation by women and young persons in political activity. The Exchequer Expenditure Statement must be audited by a public auditor and a copy of the auditor's report must be furnished to the Standards Commission with the Exchequer Expenditure Statement.

The Act does not prescribe a statutory date by which the Exchequer Expenditure Statements/Public Auditors' Reports must be furnished to the Standards Commission. Section 19(4) of the Act, however, provides that no payment shall be made to a qualified party after 30 April in any year unless and until

1. the party has furnished to the Standards Commission an Exchequer Expenditure Statement/Public Auditor's Report and a Donation Statement and Statutory Declaration (required under section 24(1)(b) of the Act); and
2. the Standards Commission has furnished a copy of these statements to the Minister for Finance and has certified that they have been completed in accordance with the relevant provisions of the legislation and guidelines published by the Standards Commission.

On 29 February 2008 the Standards Commission wrote to the appropriate officer of each of the six qualified political parties enclosing an Exchequer Expenditure Statement/Public Auditor's Report form (07/PP/EFS) for completion and return to the Standards Commission not later than 31 March 2008. This date was selected by the Standards Commission to coincide with the date by which political parties must furnish their Donation Statements/Statutory Declarations to the Standards Commission. Also, having regard to the fact that future payments can be delayed by virtue of section 19(4), it ensures that political parties have adequate time to furnish their Exchequer Expenditure Statement/Public Auditor's Report before 30 April 2008.

The deadline of 30 April 2008 was met in the case of the Exchequer Expenditure Statement/Public Auditor's Report furnished by five of the six qualified parties. The Progressive Democrats return was not received until 2 July 2008. The Standards Commission informed the Department of Finance on 2 May 2008 that a correctly completed Exchequer Expenditure Statement/Public Auditor's Report and Donation Statement had been received from five of the six qualified parties but that the Progressive Democrats return was outstanding. The Standards Commission subsequently notified the Department of Finance on 3 July 2008 that the PD's return had been received.

Table 3 gives details of the breakdown of expenditure provided by the parties of the funding under the headings set out in section 18 of the Act.

Table 3 - Details of spending provided by political parties of Exchequer Funding received under the Act for 2007

Table breakdown:

A.   General Administration
B.   Research, Education & Training
C.   Policy Formulation
D.   Co-ordination of the Activities of the Branches & Members
E.    Promotion of Participation of Women
F.    Promotion of Participation of Young People

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