Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to prevent overspend by an accredited campaign in a Recall Petition under the Recall of MPs Act 2015.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The Recall of MPs Act 2015 sets out that each accredited campaigner may spend up to a maximum of £10,000 campaigning either for or against the petition, while non-accredited campaigners may only spend up to £500.

Each accredited campaigner must submit a statement which details all of the payments incurred in respect of the petition expenses, a statement of all unpaid claims and a statement of disputed claims. The return must be accompanied by a declaration, signed by the responsible person that to the best of his knowledge the return is complete and correct. The responsible person commits an offence if they fail to submit the return and if they knowingly submit a declaration knowing it to be false. The petition officer must then make the returns available for inspection by the public.