Northern Ireland Assembly Parties Panel minutes: 29 January 2019

Meeting overview

Date: 29 January 2019

Time: 9.30 am

Location: Radisson Blu Hotel, Belfast

Date of next scheduled meeting: 19 March 2019

Who was at the meeting

DUP:

  • Lee Reynolds

Green Party:

  • Kate Barry

Sinn Féin:

  • Gary Fleming

UUP:

  • Barbara Knox

The Electoral Commission:

  • Anna Carragher, Commissioner
  • Ann Watt, Head of Electoral Commission, Northern Ireland
  • Cahir Hughes, Manager, Electoral Commission, Northern Ireland Roisin McDaid, Senior Officer (Political Parties Liaison)
  • Caralyn Morton, Business Support Officer

Electoral Office for Northern Ireland:

  • Virginia McVea, Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

Royal Mail:

  • Rachel Winham, Head of Elections and Political Parties
  • Scott Forsyth, Special Events Planning Manager NI
  • Claire Connolly, Elections Manager NI

Apology:

  • Alliance Party, Sharon Lowry
  • SDLP, Catherine Matthews

Political finance – statutory return deadlines

Parties were reminded of the following deadlines:

  • Quarter 4 - 2018 donation and loan returns to be submitted by 30 January 2019.
  • Statement of accounts for the year ending 31 December 2018 for parties with income and expenditure of £250,000 or less must be submitted by 30 April 2019.
  • Statement of accounts for accounting units with income of expenditure over £25,000 but under £250,000 must also be submitted by 30 April 2019.

List of agreed actions

Action Responsible
Royal Mail – Mailing information to be circulated Rachel Winham and Caralyn Morton
Submit donation and loan returns for Quarter 4 by 30 January 2019.  Party representatives
Submit Statement of Accounts up to £250,000 by 30 April 2019. Party representatives
Submit Statement of Accounts for Accounting Units as detailed by 30 April 2019. Party representatives