The Registered Parties (Non-constituent and Non-affiliated Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2002

Statutory Instruments

2002 No. 414

REGISTRATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES

The Registered Parties (Non-constituent and Non-affiliated Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2002

Made

21st February 2002

Laid before Parliament

4th March 2002

Coming into force

1st April 2002

Whereas the Electoral Commission has recommended the Secretary of State to make an Order under section 26(8)(c) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000(1) specifying the organisations mentioned in article 2 of this Order for the purposes of that provision;

Now, therefore, the Secretary of State in pursuance of that provision hereby makes the following Order:

1.  This Order may be cited as the Registered Parties (Non-constituent and Non-affiliated Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2002 and shall come into force on 1st April 2002.

2.  In Part I of the Schedule to the Registered Parties (Non-constituent and Non-affiliated Organisations) Order 2000(2) there is inserted at the appropriate places in alphabetical order each of the following organisations, namely, the Association of Loyal Orange Women of Ireland and the County Grand Lodges of the Loyal Orange Institution of Ireland.

John Reid

One of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State

Northern Ireland Office

21st February 2002

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

Section 26(1) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 prohibits the registration of a party unless it has adopted a scheme which sets out the arrangements for regulating its financial affairs for the purposes of that Act. The scheme must, in particular, determine whether the party is to be taken to consist of a central organisation with one or more separate accounting units, as distinct from a single organisation (section 26(2)(b)). “Accounting unit” is defined by section 26(11)(a), by reference to section 26(2)(b), as a constituent or affiliated organisation each of which is to be responsible for its own financial affairs.

Section 26(8) lists organisations which are not to be taken as a constituent or affiliated organisation in relation to a party. Part I of the Schedule to the Registered Parties (Non-constituent and Non-affiliated Organisations) Order 2000 specified organisations for the purposes of section 26(8)(c) (power to specify organisations). Article 2 of this Order adds the two organisations specified in that provision to the list in that Part.

(1)

2000 c. 41.

(2)

S.I .2000/3183.