Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government’s response to the Rycroft review, what discussions have been made with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales on prospective candidate political declaration requirements for candidates to those two legislatures.

In response to Recommendation 4 of the Rycroft Review, the Government announced in July our intention to introduce permissibility and transparency requirements for donations to prospective candidates outside of formal regulated periods.

Our intention is for candidates to be required to (i) provide a declaration to confirm donations used to fund campaigning activity prior to formal candidacy are from permissible sources and (ii) report any donations received during this period which exceed £2,230. This will address a current gap in the regime and reduce the threat of foreign interference in our democracy.

We are continuing at pace to develop legislative proposals and are engaging with relevant stakeholders. The Government will bring forward details of these proposals in due course.