NI Election Expenses.Qxd

November 04 Executive summary The Northern Ireland Assembly elections 2003 – campaign spending In April 2004 the Spending by political parties Commission published All 17 registered political parties •A party contesting all 18 a report on the that participated in the elections constituencies had a spending administration of the submitted campaign expenditure limit of £306,000. returns (see Table 1 below). Northern Ireland •All parties were comfortably • In total the political parties within their expenditure limits. Assembly election reported campaign expenditure 2003. This second of £648,247. report focuses on Table 1: Total campaign expenditure and percentage of campaign spending at limit spent, by party the election. The report Party Expenditure Expenditure Percentage of outlines the regulatory limit (£) incurred (£) limit spent (%) framework to which Social Democratic and 306,000 234,911 76.8 those campaigning at Labour Party the election were Ulster Unionist Party 306,000 170,912 55.9 subject and provides Democratic Unionist Party 306,000 147,867 48.3 detailed analysis of the Sinn Féin 306,000 28,766 9.4 spending of political Alliance Party 306,000 24,631 8.0 parties and candidates Progressive Unionist Party 187,000 11,321 6.1 contesting the election. Northern Ireland 119,000 8,150 6.8 Women’s Coalition This election was the Conservative Party 102,000 7,221 7.1 first at which parties The Workers Party 136,000 7,060 5.2 and candidates UK Unionist Party 85,000 5,190 6.1 contesting an Assembly Vote For Yourself Party 51,000 1,175 2.3 election were required Green Party 102,000 1,043 1.0 to operate under the Socialist Environmental 34,000 0 0.0 Political Parties, Alliance Elections and Northern Ireland 34,000 0 0.0 Referendums Act 2000 Unionist Party The Socialist Party 34,000 0 0.0 (PPERA) regulatory (Northern Ireland) framework. The Ulster Third Way 17,000 0 0.0 United Unionist Coalition 34,000 0 0.0 The Electoral Commission: Executive summary The Electoral Commission: Executive summary The review of party campaign provided by themselves to 7% of the total election expenditure returns highlighted fund their campaign. expenditure incurred by all a number of areas that need to •The remaining £330,000 of candidates at the election. be addressed by political expenditure by candidates The Chief Electoral Officer for parties and The Electoral was unaccounted for in terms Northern Ireland is required to Commission, including: of income, or provided for by supply a copy of the return to •submitting campaign non-reportable donations of The Electoral Commission. He expenditure returns within the £50 or less. is also required to make it statutory deadlines; Individual spending limits were available for public inspection •accurately and consistently calculated by a formula for the next two years. Any categorising expenditure for designed to reflect the number person has the right to inspect reporting purposes; and of electors registered to vote in the returns. •ensuring that payments are each constituency. North Antrim Under Section 145 of PPERA, only made by authorised had the highest expenditure limit the Commission has a general persons. of £9,853.57 and South Belfast responsibility for monitoring had the lowest limit of compliance with controls on Spending by candidates £7,815.52. candidates’ election expenses. A total of 256 candidates •The four largest political The review suggests that some contested the 108 Assembly parties (Democratic Unionist areas of confusion exist among seats across 18 parliamentary Party, Ulster Unionist Party, candidates and agents in constituencies. Sinn Féin and the Social respect of reporting candidate election expenses. The review •The total election expenditure Democratic and Labour Party) fielded candidates in every highlighted a number of areas declared by candidates was that need to be addressed by £896,930.1 The average constituency. Their total expenditure accounted for political parties and The Electoral amount spent was £3,504 per Commission, including: candidate. 72% of the amount spent by all candidates. In total, •making claims and payments •The 108 candidates elected to candidates representing these within the statutory time limits; the Northern Ireland Assembly parties spent £645,949. spent a total of £458,676. •accurately categorising •The 77 candidates expenditure for reporting •One hundred and forty-five representing the 13 smaller purposes; and candidates reported having parties represented 30% of all •identifying expenditure as received relevant donations, candidates standing for totalling £361,035. The candidates’ expenses or party election. They spent a total of campaign expenditure. average amount received per £183,430, just over 20% of the candidate was £1,426. total amount spent. •In addition, 66 candidates •Twenty-two individual Further information declared a total of £196,350 candidates2 spent a total of £67,552 representing just over The full report is available on The Electoral Commission’s 1 On a significant number of returns, candidates had declared a figure for their website: total expenditure that did not match the sum of the individual expenses they www.electoralcommission.org.uk had reported. We have included these figures as calculated, rather than as or in hard copy from the reported. Averages and percentages have been calculated from these figures. Commission’s offices. 2 Candidates are classed as an individual candidate where they stand as Tel: 028 9089 4020 independent or with no description on the ballot paper. We are an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. We aim to gain public confidence and encourage people to take part in the democratic process within the UK by modernising the electoral process, promoting public awareness of electoral matters and regulating political parties. For more information see: www.electoralcommission.org.uk The Electoral Commission: The Northern Ireland Assembly elections 2003 – campaign spending.

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