23/06/09 - Report on Exchequer Funding received by Political Parties for 2008

Part 2 - Payment of Exchequer funding in respect of 2008

In order to qualify for funding under the Act, a political party must be included in the Register of Political Parties and must have obtained at least 2% of the first preference votes at the last Dáil general election. On the basis of the results of the 2007 general election, funding was paid to six qualified parties - Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, The Labour Party, Progressive Democrats, Green Party and Sinn Féin. In accordance with section 17(5) of the Act, the funding received is not subject to income tax.

Under section 17, each qualified party receives a payment of €126,974. The parties also receive a proportion of a fund which increases in line with general pay increases in the civil service. During 2008, there were increases under Towards 2016 of 2.5% from 1 March 2008 and 2.5% from 1 September 2008. The fund currently stands at €4,948,201.69. The proportion of the fund payable to a qualified party is determined by expressing each qualified party's first preference votes as a proportion of the total first preference votes received by all qualified parties.

Details of the payments made to the qualifying political parties in respect of 2008 are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 - Details of funding received by qualified political parties in 2008.

Back to contents