Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000

Financial limits

117 General restriction on referendum expenses

(1) The total referendum expenses incurred by or on behalf of any individual or body during the referendum period in the case of a particular referendum to which this Part applies must not exceed £10,000 unless the individual or body is a permitted participant.

(2) Where—

(a) during the referendum period any referendum expenses are incurred by or on behalf of any individual in excess of the limit imposed by subsection (1), and

(b) he is not a permitted participant,

he is guilty of an offence if he knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that the expenses were being incurred in excess of that limit.

(3) Where—

(a) during the referendum period any referendum expenses are incurred by or on behalf of any body in excess of the limit imposed by subsection (1), and

(b) the body is not a permitted participant,

any person who authorised the expenses to be incurred by or on behalf of the body is guilty of an offence if he knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that the expenses would be incurred in excess of that limit.

(4) Where subsection (3)(a) and (b) apply, the body in question is also guilty of an offence.

(5) Where—

(a) at any time before the beginning of any referendum period, any expenses within section 111(2) are incurred by or on behalf of an individual or body in respect of any property, services or facilities, but

(b) the property, services or facilities is or are made use of by or on behalf of the individual or body during the referendum period in circumstances such that, had any expenses been incurred in respect of that use during that period, they would by virtue of section 111(2) have constituted referendum expenses incurred by or on behalf of the individual or body during that period,

the appropriate proportion of the expenses mentioned in paragraph (a) shall be treated for the purposes of this section as referendum expenses incurred by or on behalf of the individual or body during that period.

(6) For the purposes of subsection (5) the appropriate proportion of the expenses mentioned in paragraph (a) of that subsection is such proportion of those expenses as is reasonably attributable to the use made of the property, services or facilities as mentioned in paragraph (b).

118 Special restrictions on referendum expenses by permitted participants

(1) Schedule 14 has effect for imposing, in connection with a referendum to which this Part applies, limits on referendum expenses incurred by or on behalf of permitted participants during the referendum period in the case of that referendum.

(2) Where any referendum expenses are incurred by or on behalf of a permitted participant during any such period in excess of any limit imposed by Schedule 14, then—

(a) if the permitted participant is a registered party falling within section 105(1)(a)—

(i) the responsible person or any deputy treasurer of the party is guilty of an offence if he authorised the expenses to be incurred by or on behalf of the party and he knew or ought reasonably to have known that the expenses would be incurred in excess of that limit, and

(ii) the party is also guilty of an offence;

(b) if the permitted participant is an individual falling within section 105(1)(b), that individual is guilty of an offence if he knew or ought reasonably to have known that the expenses would be incurred in excess of that limit;

(c) if the permitted participant is a body falling within section 105(1)(b)—

(i) the responsible person is guilty of an offence if he authorised the expenses to be incurred by or on behalf of the body and he knew or ought reasonably to have known that the expenses would be incurred in excess of that limit, and

(ii) the body is also guilty of an offence.

(3) It shall be a defence for a permitted participant or other person charged with an offence under subsection (2) to show—

(a) that any code of practice for the time being issued under paragraph 3 of Schedule 13 was complied with in determining the items and amounts of referendum expenses to be entered in the relevant return under section 120, and

(b) that the limit would not have been exceeded on the basis of the items and amounts entered in that return.

(4) Section 117(5) and (6) shall apply, for the purposes of this section, sections 120 to 123 and Schedule 14, in relation to an individual or body that has become a permitted participant as they apply for the purposes of section 117 in relation to an individual or body that is not a permitted participant.

(5) For the purposes of this section and sections 120 to 123 and Schedule 14, any reference to referendum expenses incurred by or on behalf of a permitted participant during the referendum period includes any referendum expenses so incurred at any time before the individual or body became a permitted participant.