Written questions by Hollinrake.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answers of 23 January 2025 to Questions 25270 and 25269 on Candidates: Expenditure, if he will publish any (a) guidance and (b) advice provided by the Electoral Commission on (i) notional invoices and (ii) declarations of value of notional spending.

No invoice is required for notional spending; the legal requirement is to make a declaration of the value of the notional spending in the return. To avoid confusion, the Commission does not refer to "notional invoices" in its guidance , and this term does not appear in legislation.The Commission has published guidance on valuing notional spending. This states that candidates should make an honest and reasonable assessment of the value of the goods or services they are receiving. In practice, most parties and candidates include additional information about the nature of the spending, in case it is queried following the election. The Commission offers advice to all parties and candidates in response to their queries, in line with its published guidance.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what discussions the Electoral Commission has had with Lancashire Police on electoral law matters relating to Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency during the 2024 General Election campaign.

Lancashire Police have confirmed they are investigating a complaint regarding a candidate's election expenses. As part of its work to support the police, the Commission has respondeded to requests for advice from Lancashire Police in relation to this matter.Candidate election offences are enforced by the police, and the Commission has no powers to investigate in this area.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the potential impact of lowering the voting age on the administration of elections.

The Electoral Commission is engaging with the Government as it brings forward proposals to implement the manifesto commitment to give 16 and 17 year-olds the right to vote. The Commission is providing paractical advice on how any changes to the franchise can be implemented, as it has done for similar changes in Scotland and Wales.Once the change is made, the Commission will update its guidance for administrators to assist them to understand and deliver the new registration eligibility. Electoral Registration Officers would then work locally to support the registration and participation of this new group of voters.The Commission has said that changes to the franchise need to be implemented in a way that carefully manages the pressures on election teams, and that any changes to electoral legislation should be clear at least six months before they are due to be implemented or complied with by voters and electoral administrators.The Commission will also undertake public awareness work to ensure all newly enfranchised voters know how to register, and have the information and confidence to take part. It is already working to ensure that young people hace access to impartial education about democracy and elections, and is partnering with a range of organisations to support under-registered groups.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 22034 on Candidates: Expenditure, whether the Commission has given unpublished advice on the use of notional invoices for paid-for campaigning in election expense returns in cases where multiple elections are held concurrently in the last three years.

The Electoral Commission offers advice to all candidates and parties in reponse to their queries and in line with its published guidance. For notional spending, the law states that no invoice is required in a candidate return. The Commission advises that additional information about the nature of the spending could be included to show that the value declared is accurate.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 22034 on Candidates: Expenditure, whether such notional invoices need to provide detail on (a) how items have been split between different candidates and (b) which individual suppliers were used and at what cost.

There is no leal requirement for an invoice for notional spending where it is reported in a candidate return. The requirement is for agents to make a declaration of the value of the notional spending. However, additional information about the nature of the spending could be included to show that the value declared accurately represents the services received and used by the campaign. This could include how the items have been split between different candidates and the costs of individual suppliers.This information may be included with the return in a notional invoice from the party or any other organisation providing the items. If a return does not include evidence for the value of notional spending, and there is a question about its accuracy, the police, may need to seek this information through an investigation, to ensure that the amount decared is accurate.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the oral answer of 15 January 2025, Official Report, House of Lords, Columns 1123-1124, on Political Parties: Funding, what guidance the Commission has issued on whether (a) Russian, (b) Iranian and (c) Chinese citizens can donate to UK (i) political parties, (ii) registered third parties and (iii) regulated donees if they reside in (A) Wales and (B) Scotland.

Qualifying foreign citizens residing in Scotland and Wales are eligible to register to vote in local government and devolved elections, and are therefore permissible donors for those elections. The Commission provides guidance to Electoral Registration Officers on the eligibility criteria. Political parties, campaigners and regulated donees are responsible to carry out checks on donations they receive to ensure they are from permissible sources, and for properly and accurately reporting them. The Commission has published guidance about who is and is not a permissable donor.If the Commission is made aware of evidence that donations may have been misreported or have come from an impermissable source, it will consider it in line with its Enforcement Policy.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what plans the Commission has to consult on changes to electoral (a) law, (b) practice, (c) guidance and (d) policy in 2025.

The Electoral Commission develops guidance in consultation with electoral administrators and parties and campaigners, to ensure it is clear and meets their needs. The Commission has upcoming statutory consultations on the new digital imprint guidance in Scotland, non-party campaigner Code of Practise in Scotland, and candidate, party, and non-party campaigner Codes in Wales. It is also planning to run a consultation on guidance around accessibility measures in elections.Consultations on legislative changes, such as electoral law, are a matter for the Government. It is important that relevent stakeholders are properly consulted to ensure any changes are workable. The Commission is currently engaging with the UK Government on its manifesto commitments around electoral policy, and will consult on any necessary changes to its guidance arising from those legislative changes.The Commission also develops its own policy proposals based on it experience of overseeing and regulating elections. It gathers data on experiences of voters, electoral administrators and campaigners at each election, and has regular discussions with the electoral community, governments, and other regulators on how the law could be updated or practice improved.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, on what topics the Commission has (a) open consultations (i) through the Parliamentary Parties Panel and (ii) generally and (b) consultations that are closed but not yet had a response.

The Electoral Commission has no open consultations with the Parliamentary Parties Panel, and no consultations that are closed but have not yet been concluded.The Commission hold regular discussions with the Westminster Parliamentary Parties Panel, and each of the devolved panels, on its work and guidance. It is an important forum to gather feedback and views from political parties who provide expert insight on how the law is applied in practise and their experiences at elections.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 22037 on Candidates: expenditure, whether the 20 pence per page prescribed fee can be charged for electronic information provided by email.

The charge to be supplied of copies of the election expenses is 20p per copy page, as set out in regulation 10 (3) of the Representation of the People Regulations 2001. The legislation does not specify whether this is in paper or electronc form.As the legislation does not specify format, and as the fee is intended to cover the administrative costs of providing these documents, it may be applied to electronic documentation provided by email.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 22035 on Candidates: Expenditure, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to increase the transparency of (a) candidate spending and (b) donation returns in relation to the General Election 2024.

The Electoral Commission does not have regulatory or enforcement powers with regard to candidate spending and donations. It does, however, publish candidate returns together in one place in order to provide voters with greater transparency and a fuller picture of the money spent and recieved by the candidates at the election. It will publish headline figures from candidate spending returns at the 2024 general election in due course.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of people on the electoral roll in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain for each general election since 2010.

The Electoral Commission publishes data and research on elections taking place in the UK, including electorate figures.Figures on the number registered voters at each general election since 2010 are in the table below. Northern IrelandGreat Britain20101,169,18444,428,27720151,236,76545,117,43220171,242,69845,592,73520191,293,97146,273,78120241,363,96146,859,848

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the Electoral Commission's timetable is for publishing details of spending by Labour Together for the 2024 general election.

The Commission will publish returns recieved from registered non-party campaigners in two stages, with returns under £250,000 published shortly and those over £250,000 published in the coming months.Non-party campaigners are required to register with the Electoral Commission if they intend to spend more than £10,000 on regulated campaigning ahead of a general election. However, they are only required to report their spending and donations to the Commission if they spend more than £20,000 in England, or £10,000 in any other part of the UK.Labour Together registered with the Commission in March 2024. Following the election, they confirmed they did not exceed the reporting threshold. As a result, they are not required to submit a return.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has issued guidance on whether the loan of accommodation to a Parliamentary candidate in the short campaign would be a declarable (a) notional expense and (b) donation under the Representation of the People Act 1983.

The Electoral Commission’s guidance sets out the law, which states that the loan of accommodation to a Parliamentary candidate during the election campaign would typically be notional spending and a donation.However, if the accommodation provided is an individual’s main residence and it is made available free of charge, this is exempt and would not need to be reported as election spending.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has issued guidance on whether a returning officer may levy a prescribed fee for the supply of an electronic copy of an (a) election return and (b) declaration under section 89 of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

The Electoral Commission provides guidance to support returning officers to deliver well-run elections that maintain public confidence, including on the inspection and supply of candidate spending returns and declaration.The Commission’s guidance states that the prescribed fee for the supply of copies of a return, declaration or accompanying document is 20p. This fee is intended to cover the administrative costs associated with providing these documents.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has provided on the use of single notional invoices in candidate returns made under the Representation of the People Act 1983 where multiple (a) elections are held concurrently and (b) candidates in different constituencies and council areas split their costs.

The Electoral Commission provides guidance to support candidates to understand the law and their reporting obligations.The guidance states that where candidates have split costs for an item of spending, each candidate must report the proportion of the costs that are attributable to their election campaign. Where multiple elections are held concurrently, candidates should make an honest assessment of the costs that are attributable to their campaign.If a candidate has paid over £20 for the item, the invoice is required. If a candidate has received the item for free, this is likely to be notional spending, and the law does not require an invoice.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many and what proportion of local authority returning officers have sent to the Electoral Commission copies of Parliamentary candidates’ election expense returns from the 2024 general election under section 87A of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

The Electoral Commission has received candidate spending returns from returning officers for all 650 constituencies contested at the 2024 UK parliamentary general election. To support transparency, the Commission plans to publish headline spending and donations totals from the most recent general election in due course.The Commission has a legal remit to secure compliance with the rules on candidates’ spending and donations, but has no role or sanctioning powers in respect of breaches. Enforcing the Representation of the People Act 1983 is the responsibility of the police.