11/11/04 - Report to Ceann Comhairle re European elections of 11 June 2004

Chapter 10 Statutory forms

The Standards Commission produced six forms to cover the requirements of the Electoral Acts in relation to the disclosure of donations by unsuccessful candidates, disclosure of election expenses by candidates' election agents, national agents of political parties and "other persons" and the reimbursement of candidates' election expenses. The forms used by the Standards Commission are as follows :

Donation Statement/Statutory Declaration form for unsuccessful candidates (EP/04/DS);
Certificate of Monetary Donations/Statutory Declaration for unsuccessful candidates (EP/04/CMD).
Election Expenses Statement/Statutory Declaration form for the election agents of candidates (EP/04/EES/EA);
Election Expenses Statement/Statutory Declaration form for the national agents of political parties (EP/04/EES/NA); (This form was tailored in each case to include the name, and other details, of the candidate(s) of the party who had contested the election.)
Election Expenses Statement/Statutory Declaration form for "other persons" who incurred expenditure at the European Election (EP/04/EES/TP/OP);
Application for Reimbursement of Election Expenses form for qualified candidates (EP/04/RA).

On 17 June 2004 a Donation Statement/Statutory Declaration form and a Certificate of Monetary Donations/Statutory Declaration form issued to each of the 31 unsuccessful candidates at the election. Candidates were required to return the completed form to the Standards Commission by 6 August, 2004 (the fifty-sixth day after polling day).

The 13 successful candidates will be obliged to return a Donation Statement/Statutory Declaration and, if appropriate, a Certificate of Monetary Donations/Statutory Declaration as sitting members of the European Parliament by 31 January, 2005. This is an annual requirement for representatives in the European Parliament.

An Election Expenses Statement form and explanatory letter was issued on 17 June 2004 to the election agents of candidates (44) and the national agents of political parties (7) who contested the election. It was required in all cases that completed forms be furnished to the Standards Commission by 6 August, 2004.

As stated in Chapter 7 above, Election Expenses Statement forms and explanatory letters also issued to those persons (4) who had either incurred or intended to incur expenditure pursuant to section 31(7) of the Electoral Acts or were deemed by the Standards Commission to have incurred election expenses at the European election.

It is the practice of the Standards Commission not to issue an Application for Reimbursement of Election Expenses form to a qualified candidate until such time as all matters relating to the completion of his/her other statutory returns have been finalised.

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