Search Legislation

Political Parties and Elections Act 2009

Changes over time for: SCHEDULE 1

 Help about opening options

Alternative versions:

Status:

Point in time view as at 01/12/2010.

Changes to legislation:

There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009, SCHEDULE 1. Help about Changes to Legislation

Close

Changes to Legislation

Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.

Section 2

SCHEDULE 1U.K.Investigatory powers of Commission: Schedule to be inserted into the 2000 Act

This schedule has no associated Explanatory Notes

Commencement Information

I1Sch. 1 in force at 1.12.2010 by S.I. 2010/2866, art. 3(e) (with art. 5)

Section 146

SCHEDULE 19BU.K.Investigatory powers of Commission

Power to require disclosureU.K.

1(1)This paragraph applies to the following organisations and individuals—

(a)a registered party or, in the case of a registered party with accounting units—

(i)the central organisation of the party;

(ii)an accounting unit of the party;

(b)a recognised third party (within the meaning of Part 6);

(c)a permitted participant (within the meaning of Part 7);

(d)a regulated donee (within the meaning of Schedule 7);

(e)a regulated participant (within the meaning of Schedule 7A);

(f)a candidate at an election (other than a local government election in Scotland);

(g)the election agent for such a candidate;

(h)an organisation or individual formerly falling within any of paragraphs (a) to (g).

(2)The Commission may give a disclosure notice to a person who—

(a)is the treasurer or another officer of an organisation to which this paragraph applies, or has been at any time in the period of five years ending with the day on which the notice is given; or

(b)is an individual to whom this paragraph applies.

(3)A disclosure notice is a notice requiring the person to whom it is given—

(a)to produce, for inspection by the Commission or a person authorised by the Commission, any documents which—

(i)relate to the income and expenditure of the organisation or individual in question, and

(ii)are reasonably required by the Commission for the purposes of carrying out their functions;

or

(b)to provide the Commission, or a person authorised by the Commission, with any information or explanation which relates to that income and expenditure and is reasonably required by the Commission for those purposes.

(4)A person to whom a disclosure notice is given shall comply with it within such reasonable time as is specified in the notice.

Inspection warrantsU.K.

2(1)This paragraph applies to the following organisations and individuals—

(a)a registered party or, in the case of a registered party with accounting units—

(i)the central organisation of the party;

(ii)an accounting unit of the party;

(b)a recognised third party (within the meaning of Part 6);

(c)a permitted participant (within the meaning of Part 7);

(d)a members association (within the meaning of Schedule 7).

(2)A justice of the peace may issue an inspection warrant in relation to premises occupied by any such organisation or individual if satisfied, on information on oath given by or on behalf of the Commission, that—

(a)there are reasonable grounds for believing that on those premises there are documents relating to the income and expenditure of the organisation or individual,

(b)the Commission need to inspect the documents for the purposes of carrying out functions of the Commission other than investigatory functions, and

(c)permission to inspect the documents on the premises has been requested by the Commission and has been unreasonably refused.

(3)An inspection warrant is a warrant authorising a member of the Commission's staff—

(a)at any reasonable time to enter the premises specified in the warrant, and

(b)having entered the premises, to inspect any documents within sub-paragraph (2)(a).

(4)An inspection warrant also authorises the person who executes the warrant to be accompanied by any other persons who the Commission consider are needed to assist in executing it.

(5)The person executing an inspection warrant must, if required to do so, produce—

(a)the warrant, and

(b)documentary evidence that the person is a member of the Commission's staff,

for inspection by the occupier of the premises that are specified in the warrant or by anyone acting on the occupier's behalf.

(6)An inspection warrant continues in force until the end of the period of one month beginning with the day on which it is issued.

(7)An inspection warrant may not be used for the purposes of carrying out investigatory functions.

(8)In this paragraph “investigatory functions” means functions of investigating suspected offences under this Act or suspected contraventions of restrictions or requirements imposed by or by virtue of this Act.

(9)In the application of this paragraph to Scotland—

(a)a reference to a justice of the peace is to be read as a reference to a justice of the peace or a sheriff;

(b)a reference to information on oath is to be read as a reference to evidence on oath.

Powers in relation to suspected offences or contraventionsU.K.

3(1)This paragraph applies where the Commission have reasonable grounds to suspect that—

(a)a person has committed an offence under this Act, or

(b)a person has contravened (otherwise than by committing an offence) any restriction or other requirement imposed by or by virtue of this Act.

In this paragraph “the suspected offence or contravention” means the offence or contravention referred to above.

(2)The Commission may by notice require any person (including an organisation to which, or an individual to whom, paragraph 1 applies)—

(a)to produce, for inspection by the Commission or a person authorised by the Commission, any documents that they reasonably require for the purposes of investigating the suspected offence or contravention;

(b)to provide the Commission, or a person authorised by the Commission, with any information or explanation that they reasonably require for those purposes.

(3)A person to whom a notice is given under sub-paragraph (2) shall comply with it within such reasonable time as is specified in the notice.

(4)A person authorised by the Commission (“the investigator”) may require—

(a)the person mentioned in sub-paragraph (1), if that person is an individual, or

(b)an individual who the investigator reasonably believes has relevant information,

to attend before the investigator at a specified time and place and answer any questions that the investigator reasonably considers to be relevant.

(5)In sub-paragraph (4) “relevant” means relevant to an investigation by the Commission of the suspected offence or contravention.

Court order for delivery of documents or provision of information etcU.K.

4(1)This paragraph applies where the Commission have given a notice under paragraph 3 requiring documents to be produced.

(2)The High Court or (in Scotland) the Court of Session may make a document-disclosure order against a person (“the respondent”) if satisfied on an application by the Commission that—

(a)there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a person (whether or not the respondent) has committed an offence under this Act or has contravened (otherwise than by committing an offence) any restriction or other requirement imposed by or by virtue of this Act, and

(b)there are documents referred to in the notice under paragraph 3 which—

(i)have not been produced as required by the notice (either within the time specified in the notice for compliance or subsequently),

(ii)are reasonably required by the Commission for the purposes of investigating the offence or contravention referred to in paragraph (a), and

(iii)are in the custody or under the control of the respondent.

(3)A document-disclosure order is an order requiring the respondent to deliver to the Commission, within such time as is specified in the order, such documents falling within sub-paragraph (2)(b) as are identified in the order (either specifically or by reference to any category or description of document).

(4)For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2)(b)(iii) a document is under a person's control if it is in the person's possession or if the person has a right to possession of it.

(5)A person who fails to comply with a document-disclosure order may not, in respect of that failure, be both punished for contempt of court and convicted of an offence under paragraph 13(1).

5(1)This paragraph applies where the Commission have given a notice under paragraph 3 requiring any information or explanation to be provided.

(2)The High Court or (in Scotland) the Court of Session may make an information-disclosure order against a person (“the respondent”) if satisfied on an application by the Commission that—

(a)there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a person (whether or not the respondent) has committed an offence under this Act or has contravened (otherwise than by committing an offence) any restriction or other requirement imposed by or by virtue of this Act, and

(b)there is any information or explanation referred to in the notice under paragraph 3 which—

(i)has not been provided as required by the notice (either within the time specified in the notice for compliance or subsequently),

(ii)is reasonably required by the Commission for the purposes of investigating the offence or contravention referred to in paragraph (a), and

(iii)the respondent is able to provide.

(3)An information-disclosure order is an order requiring the respondent to provide to the Commission, within such time as is specified in the order, such information or explanation falling within sub-paragraph (2)(b) as is identified in the order.

(4)A person who fails to comply with an information-disclosure order may not, in respect of that failure, be both punished for contempt of court and convicted of an offence under paragraph 13(1).

Retention of documents delivered under paragraph 4U.K.

6(1)The Commission may retain any documents delivered to them in compliance with an order under paragraph 4 for a period of three months (or for longer if any of following sub-paragraphs applies).

In this paragraph “the documents” and “the three-month period” mean the documents and the period mentioned above.

(2)If within the three-month period proceedings to which the documents are relevant are commenced against any person for any criminal offence, the documents may be retained until the conclusion of those proceedings.

(3)If within the three-month period the Commission serve a notice under paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 19C of a proposal to impose a fixed monetary penalty on any person and the documents are relevant to the decision to serve the notice, the documents may be retained—

(a)until liability for the penalty is discharged as mentioned in paragraph 2(2) of that Schedule (if it is);

(b)until the Commission decide not to impose a fixed monetary penalty (if that is what they decide);

(c)until the end of the period given by sub-paragraph (5) (if they do impose a fixed monetary penalty).

(4)If within the three-month period the Commission serve a notice under paragraph 6(1) of Schedule 19C of a proposal to impose a discretionary requirement on any person and the documents are relevant to the decision to serve the notice, the documents may be retained—

(a)until the Commission decide not to impose a discretionary requirement (if that is what they decide);

(b)until the end of the period given by sub-paragraph (5) (if they do impose a discretionary requirement).

(5)If within the three-month period—

(a)a notice is served imposing a fixed monetary penalty on any person under paragraph 2(4) of Schedule 19C and the documents are relevant to the decision to impose the penalty, or

(b)a notice is served imposing a discretionary requirement on any person under paragraph 6(5) of that Schedule and the documents are relevant to the decision to impose the requirement,

the documents may be retained until the end of the period allowed for bringing an appeal against that decision or (if an appeal is brought) until the conclusion of proceedings on the appeal.

(6)If within the three-month period—

(a)a stop notice is served on any person under paragraph 10 of Schedule 19C, and

(b)the documents are relevant to the decision to serve the notice,

the documents may be retained until the end of the period allowed for bringing an appeal against that decision or (if an appeal is brought) until the conclusion of proceedings on the appeal.

(7)If within the three-month period or the period given by sub-paragraph (6) (or, if applicable, by sub-paragraph (4) or (5)(b))—

(a)the Commission, having served a stop notice on any person under paragraph 10 of Schedule 19C, decide not to issue a completion certificate under paragraph 12 of that Schedule in relation to the stop notice, and

(b)the documents are relevant to the decision not to issue the certificate,

the documents may be retained until the end of the period allowed for bringing an appeal against that decision or (if an appeal is brought) until the conclusion of proceedings on the appeal.

Power to make copies and recordsU.K.

7The Commission or a person authorised by the Commission—

(a)may make copies of, or make records of any information contained in—

(i)any documents produced or inspected under this Schedule;

(ii)any documents delivered to them in compliance with an order under paragraph 4;

(b)may make copies or records of any information or explanation provided under this Schedule.

Authorisation to be in writingU.K.

8An authorisation of a person by the Commission under this Schedule must be in writing.

Meaning of “documents”U.K.

9In this Schedule “documents” includes any books or records.

Documents in electronic formU.K.

10(1)In the case of documents kept in electronic form—

(a)a power of the Commission under this Schedule to require documents to be produced for inspection includes power to require a copy of the documents to be made available for inspection in legible form;

(b)a power of a person (“the inspector”) under this Schedule to inspect documents includes power to require any person on the premises in question to give any assistance that the inspector reasonably requires to enable the inspector—

(i)to inspect and make copies of the documents in legible form or to make records of information contained in them, or

(ii)to inspect and check the operation of any computer, and any associated apparatus or material, that is or has been in use in connection with the keeping of the documents.

(2)Paragraph 7(a) applies in relation to any copy made available as mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) above.

Legal professional privilegeU.K.

11Nothing in this Schedule requires a person to produce or provide, or authorises a person to inspect or take possession of, anything in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege (in Scotland, to confidentiality of communications) could be maintained in legal proceedings.

Admissibility of statementsU.K.

12(1)A statement made by a person (“P”) in compliance with a requirement imposed under this Schedule is admissible in evidence in any proceedings (as long as it also complies with any requirements governing the admissibility of evidence in the circumstances in question).

(2)But in criminal proceedings in which P is charged with an offence other than one to which sub-paragraph (3) applies or in proceedings within sub-paragraph (4) to which both the Commission and P are parties—

(a)no evidence relating to the statement is admissible against P, and

(b)no question relating to the statement may be asked on behalf of the prosecution or (as the case may be) the Commission in cross-examination of P,

unless evidence relating to it is adduced, or a question relating to it is asked, in the proceedings by or on behalf of P.

(3)This sub-paragraph applies to—

(a)an offence under paragraph 13(3);

(b)an offence under section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911 (false statements made otherwise than on oath);

(c)an offence under section 44(2) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 (false statements made otherwise than on oath);

(d)an offence under Article 10 of the Perjury (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 (false statements made otherwise than on oath).

(4)Proceedings are within this sub-paragraph if they arise out of the exercise by the Commission of any of their powers under Schedule 19C other than powers in relation to an offence under paragraph 13(3) below.

OffencesU.K.

13(1)A person who fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any requirement imposed under or by virtue of this Schedule commits an offence.

(2)A person who intentionally obstructs a person authorised by or by virtue of this Schedule in the carrying out of that person's functions under the authorisation commits an offence.

(3)A person who knowingly or recklessly provides false information in purported compliance with a requirement imposed under or by virtue of this Schedule commits an offence.

Guidance by CommissionU.K.

14(1)The Commission shall prepare and publish guidance as to—

(a)the circumstances in which the Commission are likely to give a notice under paragraph 1 or 3(2);

(b)the consequences (including criminal sanctions) that may result from a failure to comply with such a notice;

(c)the circumstances in which the Commission are likely to apply for a warrant under paragraph 2;

(d)the procedures to be followed in connection with questioning under paragraph 3(4);

(e)the circumstances in which the Commission are likely to apply for an order under paragraph 4 or 5;

(f)the principles and practices to be applied in connection with the exercise of powers under paragraphs 6 and 7;

(g)any other matters concerning the exercise of powers under this Schedule about which the Commission consider that guidance would be useful.

(2)Where appropriate, the Commission shall revise guidance published under this paragraph and publish the revised guidance.

(3)The Commission shall consult such persons as they consider appropriate before publishing guidance or revised guidance under this paragraph.

(4)The Commission shall have regard to the guidance or revised guidance published under this paragraph in exercising their functions.

Information about use of investigatory powers in Commission's annual reportU.K.

15(1)Each report by the Commission under paragraph 20 of Schedule 1 shall contain information about the use made by the Commission of their powers under this Schedule during the year in question.

(2)The report shall, in particular, specify—

(a)the cases in which a notice was given under paragraph 1 or 3(2);

(b)the cases in which premises were entered under a warrant issued under paragraph 2;

(c)the cases in which a requirement was imposed under paragraph 3(4);

(d)the cases in which an order under paragraph 4 or 5—

(i)was applied for;

(ii)was made.

(3)This paragraph does not require the Commission to include in a report any information that, in their opinion, it would be inappropriate to include on the ground that to do so—

(a)would or might be unlawful, or

(b)might adversely affect any current investigation or proceedings.

Back to top

Options/Help

Print Options

You have chosen to open the Whole Act

The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

Close

Legislation is available in different versions:

Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.

Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.

Point in Time: This becomes available after navigating to view revised legislation as it stood at a certain point in time via Advanced Features > Show Timeline of Changes or via a point in time advanced search.

Close

See additional information alongside the content

Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.

Close

Opening Options

Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once

Close

Explanatory Notes

Text created by the government department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Public Acts except Appropriation, Consolidated Fund, Finance and Consolidation Acts.

Close

More Resources

Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • correction slips
  • links to related legislation and further information resources
Close

Impact Assessments

Impact Assessments generally accompany all UK Government interventions of a regulatory nature that affect the private sector, civil society organisations and public services. They apply regardless of whether the regulation originates from a domestic or international source and can accompany primary (Acts etc) and secondary legislation (SIs). An Impact Assessment allows those with an interest in the policy area to understand:

  • Why the government is proposing to intervene;
  • The main options the government is considering, and which one is preferred;
  • How and to what extent new policies may impact on them; and,
  • The estimated costs and benefits of proposed measures.
Close

Timeline of Changes

This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.

Close

More Resources

Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • correction slips

Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:

  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • links to related legislation and further information resources