Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for permanently extending voting rights for UK citizens living abroad beyond the present 15 year limit, whilst not extending the 15 year limit in which they are able to remain on constituency electoral registers and make large donations to political parties.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Government is supporting Glyn Davies MP’s Private Members’ Bill on overseas electors. The Overseas Electors Bill, if it receives Parliamentary approval, would fulfill our Manifesto commitment to implementing votes for life ahead of the next General Election in 2022. The Bill would scrap the arbitrary rule that prevents British citizens who have lived abroad for more than 15 years from participating in UK parliamentary elections
The law clearly states that donations over £500 to political parties and campaigners can only be accepted from individuals who are on the UK electoral register. The Overseas Electors Bill will not change this principle that overseas electors can donate. If a British citizen is able to vote in an election for a political party, we consider that they should also be able to donate to that political party.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the 15 year limit in which UK citizens living abroad can remain on UK constituency electoral registers and make donations to political parties.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Government is supporting Glyn Davies MP’s Private Members’ Bill on overseas electors. The Overseas Electors Bill, if it receives Parliamentary approval, would fulfill our Manifesto commitment to implementing votes for life ahead of the next General Election in 2022. The Bill would scrap the arbitrary rule that prevents British citizens who have lived abroad for more than 15 years from participating in UK parliamentary elections
The law clearly states that donations over £500 to political parties and campaigners can only be accepted from individuals who are on the UK electoral register. The Overseas Electors Bill will not change this principle that overseas electors can donate. If a British citizen is able to vote in an election for a political party, we consider that they should also be able to donate to that political party.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restrict donations to political parties from people living in tax havens and paying lower rates of tax than donors to political parties who pay full rates of tax.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Coalition Government took the decision not to implement the 2009 legislation, as it was not deemed to be workable
During the passage of the 2009 Act, the Electoral Commission raised concerns about the legislation (further to Official Report, House of Commons, 15 October 2009, Col. 998W), and in 2013, the Electoral Commission also flagged issues about the tax status declaration requirements. The Labour Government conceded that the provisions could not be commenced at that time “due to their complex nature” (as outlined in the answer of Official Report, House of Commons, 10 March 2010, Col. 5MC)
The UK has a robust legal framework in place that bans foreign donations.
There is a long-standing principle – as originally recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 – that permissible donors are those on the UK electoral register, and this includes UK citizens who are registered overseas electors. Companies wishing to make donations must be UK-registered and carrying on business in the UK
If a British citizen is able to vote in an election for a political party, they should also be able to donate to that political party, subject to the requirements for transparency on donations. Supporting a political party is part of the democratic process, and is an expression of freedom of association
Since the adoption of universal suffrage, taxation has never been the basis of enfranchisement in the UK. Those who do not pay income tax, such as those earning less than the tax-free personal allowance, rightly remain entitled to vote. Similarly, full-time students are legally exempt from paying council tax, but still have the right to vote in local elections
More broadly, since 2010, the Government has taken action to sanction and deter those involved in offshore evasion, including creating a new criminal offence for serious offshore evasion, and introducing penalties for those who deliberately help others to evade tax offshore. The Government has introduced over 100 new measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion and non-compliance.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) implementing section 10 of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009, and (2) extending permanently the capacity of UK citizens living abroad to make large donations to the parties, on the financing of political parties.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Coalition Government took the decision not to implement the 2009 legislation, as it was not deemed to be workable
During the passage of the 2009 Act, the Electoral Commission raised concerns about the legislation (further to Official Report, House of Commons, 15 October 2009, Col. 998W), and in 2013, the Electoral Commission also flagged issues about the tax status declaration requirements. The Labour Government conceded that the provisions could not be commenced at that time “due to their complex nature” (as outlined in the answer of Official Report, House of Commons, 10 March 2010, Col. 5MC)
The UK has a robust legal framework in place that bans foreign donations.
There is a long-standing principle – as originally recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 – that permissible donors are those on the UK electoral register, and this includes UK citizens who are registered overseas electors. Companies wishing to make donations must be UK-registered and carrying on business in the UK
If a British citizen is able to vote in an election for a political party, they should also be able to donate to that political party, subject to the requirements for transparency on donations. Supporting a political party is part of the democratic process, and is an expression of freedom of association
Since the adoption of universal suffrage, taxation has never been the basis of enfranchisement in the UK. Those who do not pay income tax, such as those earning less than the tax-free personal allowance, rightly remain entitled to vote. Similarly, full-time students are legally exempt from paying council tax, but still have the right to vote in local elections
More broadly, since 2010, the Government has taken action to sanction and deter those involved in offshore evasion, including creating a new criminal offence for serious offshore evasion, and introducing penalties for those who deliberately help others to evade tax offshore. The Government has introduced over 100 new measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion and non-compliance.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Electoral Commission concerning the implementation of section 10 the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009; and what was their response.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Coalition Government took the decision not to implement the 2009 legislation, as it was not deemed to be workable
During the passage of the 2009 Act, the Electoral Commission raised concerns about the legislation (further to Official Report, House of Commons, 15 October 2009, Col. 998W), and in 2013, the Electoral Commission also flagged issues about the tax status declaration requirements. The Labour Government conceded that the provisions could not be commenced at that time “due to their complex nature” (as outlined in the answer of Official Report, House of Commons, 10 March 2010, Col. 5MC)
The UK has a robust legal framework in place that bans foreign donations.
There is a long-standing principle – as originally recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 – that permissible donors are those on the UK electoral register, and this includes UK citizens who are registered overseas electors. Companies wishing to make donations must be UK-registered and carrying on business in the UK
If a British citizen is able to vote in an election for a political party, they should also be able to donate to that political party, subject to the requirements for transparency on donations. Supporting a political party is part of the democratic process, and is an expression of freedom of association
Since the adoption of universal suffrage, taxation has never been the basis of enfranchisement in the UK. Those who do not pay income tax, such as those earning less than the tax-free personal allowance, rightly remain entitled to vote. Similarly, full-time students are legally exempt from paying council tax, but still have the right to vote in local elections
More broadly, since 2010, the Government has taken action to sanction and deter those involved in offshore evasion, including creating a new criminal offence for serious offshore evasion, and introducing penalties for those who deliberately help others to evade tax offshore. The Government has introduced over 100 new measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion and non-compliance.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the incorrect election result declarations in three wards of the London Borough of Newham in May, what assessment they have made of the requirement to list election candidates on ballot papers in alphabetical order of commonly used surnames whilst requiring the results to be declared in order of legal surnames.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
To assist electors, candidates are allowed to use commonly used names on the ballot paper. The Electoral Commission’s guidance sets out that a declaration of result should include both a candidate’s full name and their commonly used name.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operation of the arrangements under section 46 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 for Returning Officers to correct mistakes made in the counting process after a result has been declared; and how many instances there have been of such corrections being made by Returning Officers since the Act came into force.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
Decisions made under section 46 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 are not reported to be collated centrally. The Government is not aware of any significant issues or abuse relating to section 46. The Government will continue to keep this matter under review.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to work with other countries to prevent Russian influence from undermining democratic principles including by (1) providing funding to influence electoral outcomes significantly, (2) establishing social media accounts which disguise their real origin, and (3) promoting fake news, including relating to the attempted murder of their opponents on British soil.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
We are committed to defending the UK from all forms of malign foreign state interference, whether from Russia or any other state. This includes working with international partners where appropriate. As part of our response, the UK agreed at the 2018 G7 summit in Charlevoix, Canada to work with other G7 members on defending democracy from foreign threats.
The Electoral Commission is the independent regulatory body responsible for ensuring that elections are run effectively and in accordance with the law. There is also legislation in place to prevent foreign money being used to finance campaigning at UK elections. It is for the Electoral Commission to investigate any breaches of this legislation.
A copy of the Charlevoix commitment is attached.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for amending legislation on the conduct of referendums to make sanctions for serious breaches of the law analogous to those for elections.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) regulates political funding and spending at elections and referendums. Breaches of these laws attract both criminal and civil sanctions.
Bespoke Acts of Parliament are brought forward for each referendum and it is usual practice for the conduct rules to apply to many of the offences which are included in the Representation of the People Act 1983.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for modernising legislation concerning elections and referendums.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Government keeps electoral processes, and whether improvements may be made, under review. We are working with the Law Commission on how best to implement the recommendations of their review of electoral law.
We have identified with the Law Commission and key electoral stakeholders possible means of effecting reform through the drafting of secondary legislation. Work is underway on this by the Law Commission, which is supported by Cabinet Office and the Electoral Commission.