The Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2015

Statutory Instruments

2015 No. 128

Representation Of The People

The Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2015

Made

4th February 2015

Laid before Parliament

5th February 2015

Coming into force

2nd March 2015

The Lord President of the Council, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 12 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000(1), makes the following Order, which gives effect to recommendations submitted to him by the Electoral Commission for variations to the scheme for the making by the Commission of policy development grants:

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2015 and comes into force on 2nd March 2015.

Amendments to the scheme

2.  The amendments to the Policy Development Grants Scheme 2006(2) set out in the Schedule shall have effect for the purpose of the making by the Commission of policy development grants on or after 1st April 2015.

Signed by the authority of the Lord President of the Council

Sam Gyimah

Minister for the Constitution

Cabinet Office

4th February 2015

Article 2

SCHEDULE Amendments to the Policy Development Grants Scheme

1.  The Schedule to the Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) Order 2006 is amended as follows.

2.  In paragraph 1(2) (citation and commencement), after paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa) in respect of the year ending on 31st March 2016, means such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March 2015 as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register—

(i) in England, Northern Ireland or Wales on 1st December 2014; or

(ii) in Scotland on 2nd March 2015.”

3.  In paragraph 3(2) (eligible parties)—

(a) in paragraph (f), omit “and”;

(b) at the end of paragraph (g), insert “, and”;

(c) after paragraph (g), insert—

“the UK Independence Party”.

4.  In paragraph 5(a) (allocation between eligible parties), for “the Conservative party, the Labour party, and the Liberal Democrat party” substitute “Labour party, the Liberal Democrat party, and the UK Independence Party”.

5.  In paragraph 6(2) (initial attributions), after paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa) in relation to the year ending on 31st March 2016, means—

(i) for England, such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March 2015 as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register in England on 1st December 2014;

(ii) for Northern Ireland, such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March 2015 as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register in Northern Ireland on 1st December 2014;

(iii) for Scotland, such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March 2015 as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register in Scotland on 2nd March 2015;

(iv) for Wales, such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March 2015 as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register in Wales on 1st December 2014.”

6.  In paragraph 8—

(a) in the heading, for “Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat” substitute “Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UK Independence Party”;

(b) in paragraph (a), for “the Conservative party, the Labour party, and the Liberal Democrat party” substitute “the Conservative party, the Labour party, the Liberal Democrat party, and the UK Independence Party”;

(c) in paragraph (b), for “three” substitute “four”.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the Policy Development Grants Scheme 2006 (the “Scheme”), set out in the Schedule to the Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/602), as amended by the Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/556). This Order makes provision for the year running from 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016 and subsequent years.

As a consequence of the referendum on the independence of Scotland on 18 September 2014 and the introduction of individual electoral registration, the annual canvass in Scotland, which would normally have concluded with the publication of revised electoral registers by 1st December 2014, was postponed by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (Transitional Provisions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/3197). The figures for the number of people on the register on 1st December 2014 would, but for this Order, be used to determine the appropriate allocations of policy development grants. As the revised register was not published by that date in Scotland, the Order substitutes the number of electors on the register on 2nd March 2015.

Under section 12 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (the “2000 Act”) the Electoral Commission is required to keep under review the terms of the Scheme and is required to make recommendations to the Lord President of the Council for any variations to the Scheme which they consider appropriate. The UK Independence Party returned its second member to Parliament following the by-election in Rochester and Strood, held on 20 November 2014. As a consequence of this the UK Independence Party became eligible for a policy development grant under section 12 of the 2000 Act. The Electoral Commission accordingly reviewed the Scheme and recommended to the Lord President of the Council that the Scheme be varied to include the UK Independence Party as an eligible party to the scheme, with the allocation of the UK Independence Party being determined on the same basis as the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour parties. This Order implements that recommendation.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.

(1)

2000 c.41. In accordance with section 159A of the 2000 Act, inserted by S.I. 2002/2626 and amended by S.I. 2010/1837, the power conferred on the Secretary of State by section 12 is exercisable concurrently by the Lord President of the Council and the Secretary of State.

(2)

See the Schedule to S.I. 2006/602, as amended by S.I. 2014/556.