Political Parties and Elections Bill

A Bill introduced by Jack Straw, justice secretary, to make provision in connection with the Electoral Commission; and to make provision about political donations and expenditure and about elections.

The Bill makes some amendments to the regulation of party funding and election expenditure that is set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

In particular, the Bill seeks to:

• enable political parties to put forward four extra Electoral Commissioners and relax political restrictions on staff of the commission
• place further requirements on parties and donors to clarify the source of donations
• amend the Representation of the People Act to provide a more flexible system for adding to the register of electors when an election is called while the register is being updated – the canvass period.

House of Commons

First reading: July 17 2008 [HC Bill 141]

Second reading: October 20 2008

Political Parties and Elections Bill committee:

• 1st sitting: November 4 2008
• 2nd sitting: November 6 2008 (am)
• 3rd sitting: November 6 2008 (pm)
• 4th sitting: November 11 2008 (am)
  
• 5th sitting: November 11 2008 (pm)
• 6th sitting: November 13 2008 (am)
• 7th sitting: November 13 2008 (pm)
• 8th sitting: November 18 2008 (am)
• 9th sitting: November 18 2008 (pm)
  
• 10th sitting: November 20 2008 (am)
• 11th sitting: November 20 2008 (pm)

Report stage: February 9 2009

Third reading: February 9 2009