From: FOI Sent: 05 January 2017 16:50 To: Subject: FOI 162/16 - Lib Dem Investigation Report Attachments: LD UKPGE payments.xlsx Categories: Transferred to SharePoint OPMTransferOnSend: Transfer Dear , Our Ref: FOI 162/16 Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 dated 07 December 2016. The Commission aims to respond to requests for information promptly and has done so within the statutory timeframe of twenty working days. Your request is in bold below followed by our response. You have requested: I refer you to your report http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/ data/assets/pdf file/0008/218555/Lib-Dem- Investigation-Public-Report.pdf In Para 30 it states "The 307 additional items included 27 payments totalling £26,714 that had been identified by the Commission as missing from the Party’s original return. The items also included a further 280 payments totalling £157,962 identified by the Party during its review. In total the 307 payments were made up of 258 individual payments totalling £144,063 and 49 notional payments totalling £40,614.” Please can you disclose any documentation that identifies the 307 items mentioned and the constituencies to which they relate. Please can you disclose if any of these items relate to the Carshalton & Wallington Constituency and if so what and for how much? Please can you disclose if any of these items relate to the Sutton & Cheam Constituency and if so what and for how much? Please can you disclose any documentation that identifies the further 280 items mentioned and the constituencies in which they relate. 1 Please can you disclose if any of these items relate to the Carshalton & Wallington Constituency and if so what and for how much? Please can you disclose if any of these items relate to the Sutton & Cheam Constituency and if so what and for how much? Our response is as follows: We hold some of the information you have requested. The Electoral Commission (“the Commission”) is the statutory regulator with power to set and enforce standards in relation to elections, including the regulation of political party finances and campaign spending. The Commission conducted an investigation into the Liberal Democrat party following submission of the party’s UK Parliamentary General Election spending return, where the Commission had identified discrepancies in the return. During the investigation, the Commission asked the Party to review all Liberal Democrat candidate expenditure returns to ensure that all items of expenditure apportioned to the Party had been reported. The Party were advised to report any items they identified as missing and confirm that all items of expenditure had been reported to the Commission. This process It resulted in an additional 307 payments being reported to the Commission. The 307 additional items included 27 payments totalling £26,714 that had been identified by the Commission as missing from the Party’s original return. The items also included a further 280 payments totalling £157,962 identified by the Party during its review. In total the 307 payments were made up of 258 individual payments totalling £144,063 and 49 notional payments totalling £40,614. Each additional item of spending was incurred by or on behalf of one of the Party’s accounting units. A spreadsheet showing the 307 additional items is attached. The spreadsheet is comprised of the 280 payments totalling £157,962 identified by the Party during its review and the initial 27 payments totalling £26,714 that had been identified by the Commission as missing from the Party’s original return. There is no requirement for party spending returns to supply information concerning where any constituency spend took place; the only requirement is to provide a breakdown on a regional basis i.e. England, Scotland etc. Whilst we are able to provide a list of the additional items of expenditure, we therefore do not hold any information as to the constituencies to which they relate. We are therefore unable to confirm whether any of these items relate to either the Carshalton and Wallington or the Sutton and Cheam Constituencies. During the investigation, the party identify the constituencies in which they experienced difficulties with the relevant Accounting Units. These are named in the public report that the Commission published http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/ data/assets/pdf file/0008/218555/Lib-Dem- Investigation-Public-Report.pdf I trust that this information satisfies your request. The Commission strives to be an open, transparent authority. The Commission can confirm that neither Sutton and Cheam or Carshalton and Wallington were mentioned in the report. 2 If you are not satisfied with this response, please note that the Commission operates a review procedure, details of which can be found on the Commission website at: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/about-us/freedom-of-information-requests/how-do-I-make-an- foi-request Please also note that if you have exhausted all internal Commission review procedures and you are still not satisfied you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner. Details of this procedure can be found on the ICO website: http://www.ico.gov.uk Yours sincerely Information Officer The Electoral Commission 3 Bunhill Row London EC1Y 8YZ Tel: www.electoralcommission.org.uk Putting voters first You can now register to vote online Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Read our Blog Please consider the environment before printing this email 3 ECRef RegulatedEntityName ReportingPeriodName RegulatedEntityType TotalExpenditure DateIncurred ExpenseCategoryName SP0259386 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £1.84 11/03/2015 Market research/canvassing SP0259387 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £2.80 27/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259388 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £3.00 10/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259389 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £3.00 27/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259390 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £3.79 23/04/2015 Market research/canvassing SP0259391 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £5.00 05/05/2015 Overheads and general administration SP0259392 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £6.09 18/04/2015 Advertising SP0259393 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £7.00 02/04/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259394 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £7.00 03/04/2015 Overheads and general administration SP0259395 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £8.00 30/01/2015 Overheads and general administration SP0259396 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £8.00 02/04/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259397 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £10.00 10/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259398 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £10.00 14/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259399 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £10.36 31/03/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259400 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £10.40 27/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259401 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £11.00 06/04/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259402 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £11.00 10/04/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259403 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £11.00 26/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259404 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £12.00 12/04/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259405 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £12.96 27/03/2015 Advertising SP0259406 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £13.00 18/02/2015 Overheads and general administration SP0259407 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £13.00 11/03/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259408 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £14.00 27/03/2015 Advertising SP0259409 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £15.00 14/04/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259410 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £15.00 26/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259411 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £15.00 05/05/2015 Overheads and general administration SP0259412 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £16.00 10/05/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259413 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £16.00 02/04/2015 Unsolicited material to electors SP0259414 Liberal Democrats UK Parliamentary general election 07/05/2015 Political Party £17.00 02/04/2015