The European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004

Prohibition of expenses not authorised by election agent N.I.

42.— [F1 (1) No expenses shall, with a view to promoting or procuring the election of a candidate at an election, be incurred after a person becomes a candidate by any person other than the candidate, the candidate’s election agent and persons authorised in writing by the election agent on account—

(a) of holding public meetings or organising any public display; or

(b) of issuing advertisements, circulars or publications; or

(c) of otherwise representing to the electors the candidate or the candidate’s views or the extent or nature of the candidate’s backing or disparaging a registered party or its candidates or an independent candidate.

(1A) Sub-paragraph (c) of paragraph (1) does not restrict the publication of any matter relating to the election in—

(a) a newspaper or other periodical,

(b) a broadcast made by the British Broadcasting Corporation, or

(c) a programme included in any service licensed under Part 1 or 3 of the Broadcasting Act 1990 or Part 1 or 2 of the Broadcasting Act 1996.

(1B) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any expenses incurred by any person—

(a) which do not exceed in the aggregate the permitted sum (and are not incurred by that person as part of a concerted plan of action), or

(b) in travelling or living away from home or similar personal expenses.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1B), the “permitted sum” means £5,000; and expenses must be regarded as incurred by a person “as part of a concerted plan of action” if they are incurred by that person in pursuance of any plan or other arrangement whereby that person and one or more other persons are to incur, with a view to promoting or procuring the election of the same candidate, expenses which (disregarding paragraph (1B)) fall within paragraph (1).

(2A) For the purposes of paragraph (1), expenditure incurred before or on the date when a person becomes a candidate is to be treated as having been incurred after that date if it is incurred in connection with any thing which is used or takes place after that date.]

(3) Where a person incurs any expenses required by this regulation to be authorised by the election agent—

(a) that person shall, within 21 days after the day on which the result of the election is declared, deliver to the agent who authorised the expenses a return of the amount of them, and

(b) the return shall be accompanied by a declaration made by that person (or in the case of an association or body of persons, by a director, general manager, secretary or other similar officer of the association or body) verifying the return and giving particulars of the matters for which the expenses were incurred,

but this paragraph does not apply to any person engaged or employed for payment or promise of payment by the candidate or his election agent.

(4) The authority of the agent who authorised the incurring of the expenses shall be annexed to and deemed to form part of the return.

(5) If a person—

(a) incurs, or aids, abets, counsels or procures any other person to incur, any expenses in contravention of this regulation, or

(b) knowingly makes the declaration required by paragraph (3) falsely,

he shall be guilty of a corrupt practice; and if a person fails to deliver any declaration or return as required by this regulation he shall be guilty of an illegal practice, but the court before whom a person is convicted under this paragraph may, if they think it just in the special circumstances of the case, mitigate or entirely remit any incapacity imposed by virtue of regulation 97.

(6) Where any act or omission of an association or body of persons, corporate or unincorporate, is an offence declared to be a corrupt or illegal practice by this regulation, any person who at the time of the act or omission was a director, general manager, secretary or other similar officer of the association or body, or was purporting to act in any such capacity, shall be deemed to be guilty of that offence, unless he proves—

(a) that the act or omission took place without his consent or connivance; and

(b) that he exercised all such diligence to prevent the commission of the offence as he ought to have exercised having regard to the nature of his functions in that capacity and to all the circumstances.

(7) References in this regulation to an election agent include a sub-agent.

Textual Amendments

F1 Reg. 42(1)-(2A) substituted for reg. 42(1)(2) (27.3.2009) by The European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/813), regs. 1(2), 24(2)