Recall of MPs Act 2015

Restrictions on payment of claims in respect of petition expenses

10 (1) A relevant claim is not payable unless it—

(a) is sent to the responsible person or to a person authorised under paragraph 8 to incur the expenses, and

(b) is sent before the end of the period of 21 days beginning with the first day after the recall petition period.

(2) A relevant claim must be paid before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the first day after the recall petition period.

(3) In this Part of this Schedule “relevant claim” means a claim for payment in respect of petition expenses incurred during the recall petition period by or on behalf of an accredited campaigner.

(4) A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, the person—

(a) makes a payment in respect of a relevant claim which by virtue of sub-paragraph (1) is not payable, or

(b) makes a payment in respect of a relevant claim after the end of the period allowed under sub-paragraph (2).

(5) An offence under this paragraph is an illegal practice.

(6) Where the period allowed under sub-paragraph (1)(b) or (2) would, apart from this sub-paragraph, end on a day that is not a qualifying day, the period instead ends on the first subsequent day that is a qualifying day.

(7) “Qualifying day” means a day that is not—

(a) a Saturday or Sunday,

(b) Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Good Friday, or

(c) a bank holiday or a day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning.

(8) For this purpose “bank holiday” means a bank holiday in—

(a) the part of the United Kingdom in which is situated the office of the person to whom the claim is sent pursuant to sub-paragraph (1), or

(b) the part of the United Kingdom in which the person providing the property, services or facilities to which the expenses in question relate conducts business (or, if that person conducts business in more than one part of the United Kingdom, the part of the United Kingdom in which is situated the office from which dealings relating to the expenses were conducted).

(9) Sub-paragraph (2) does not—

(a) affect any right of a creditor of an accredited campaigner to obtain payment before the end of the period allowed under that sub-paragraph, or

(b) impose an obligation to pay a relevant claim that is not payable apart from that sub-paragraph.