Trade Union Act 1984

Political objects

17 Political objects

(1) For subsection (3) of section 3 of the 1913 Act (which defines the political objects expenditure on which must be met out of the political fund of the trade union) there shall be substituted—

“(3) The political objects to which this section applies are the expenditure of money—

(a) on any contribution to the funds of, or on the payment of any expenses incurred directly or indirectly by, a political party ;

(b) on the provision of any service or property for use by or on behalf of any political party;

(c) in connection with the registration of electors, the candidature of any person, the selection of any candidate or the holding of any ballot by the union in connection with any election to a political office;

(d) on the maintenance of any holder of a political office;

(e) on the holding of any conference or meeting by or on behalf of a political party or of any other meeting the main purpose of which is the transaction of business in connection with a political party ;

(f) on the production, publication or distribution of any literature, document, film, sound recording or advertisement the main purpose of which is to persuade people to vote for a political party or candidate or to persuade them not to vote for a political party or candidate.

(3A) Where a person attends a conference or meeting as a delegate or otherwise as a participator in the proceedings, any expenditure incurred in connection with his attendance as such shall, for the purposes of subsection (3)(e) above, be taken to be expenditure incurred on the holding of the conference or meeting.

(3B) In determining, for the purposes of subsection (3) above, whether a trade union has incurred expenditure of a kind mentioned in that subsection, no account shall be taken of the ordinary administrative expenses of the union.

(3C) In this section—

• " candidate " means a candidate for election to a political office and includes a prospective candidate ;

• " contribution ", in relation to the funds of a political party, includes any fee payable for affiliation to, or membership of, the party and any loan made to the party;

• " electors " means electors at any election to a political office;

• " film " has the same meaning as in section 38 of the [1960 c. 57.] Films Act 1960;

• " local authority " means a local authority within the meaning of section 270 of the [1972 c. 70.] Local Government Act 1972 or section 235 of the [1973 c. 65.] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 ; and

• " political office" means the office of member of Parliament, member of the Assembly of the European Communities or member of a local authority or any position within a political party.”

(2) Where a resolution is in force with respect to a trade union at the commencement date, that resolution and any rule of the union made in pursuance of section 3 of the 1913 Act which is in force at that date shall have effect as if for any reference to the political objects to which that section applied immediately before the commencement date there were substituted a reference to those objects as amended by this section.

(3) Section 1(2) of the 1913 Act (which defines "statutory objects " and which is spent in consequence of this section) is hereby repealed.