Northern Ireland Assembly Parties’ Panel: 17 June 2025

KR welcomed attendees to the meeting.

The minutes and actions from previous meeting were agreed.

One issue regarding spending limits was raised ahead of the meeting by PK. KR informed the panel it would be addressed under item 6. 

4.1 Corporate Plan – VR

The corporate plan has been approved by Westminster, the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh Senedd. VR provided an overview focusing on implementation in Northern Ireland including the UK Government’s plans to extend voting rights to 16-year-olds at UK Parliamentary elections and improving registration.  

VR also highlighted recent discussions with NI Education Minister Paul Givan on civic education and outreach, and data use. Canvass reform and pilot projects are running in Wales to support the wider aim of UK-wide automatic registration, and Northern Ireland’s “Am I Registered?” tool is being considered for use across the UK. A new Partnership and Engagement Officer will be employed in Northern Ireland to lead on youth engagement, informed by work in Scotland and Wales.

The EC have also met with the Secretary of state Hillary Benn and the NIO to discuss its post-election report which focused on candidate abuse, and electoral reforms in Northern Ireland. Other key issues discussed included online threats, deepfakes, transparency in co-option, challenges with donation rules in Northern Ireland, and adapting registration rules ahead of votes at 16.

Protecting electoral integrity remains key, with updates to political finance systems, enhanced donor checks, and improved transparency thresholds. Work continues on tackling abuse, intimidation, and foreign interference. A Speaker’s Conference will address these issues further. Other priorities include improving online voter information, addressing co-option concerns, and responding to the Identity and Culture Act. The Northern Ireland Office is expanding to help deliver this work.

PK Regarding the co-option issue, asked can you advise on what the concern is?

VR The scale of co-option is concerning, particularly looking ahead to two proposed elections on the same day in 2027. Whilst there is no appetite to have numerous by-elections the current significant level of co-option means there a significant number of individuals filling elected offices, who were unelected, and this undermines as public confidence in the democratic process. Parties are encouraged consider potential solutions to the issue.

DM Confirmed that the NIO still plan for local elections to be run alongside Assembly elections on 6 May 2027. 

GF requested the projected timeline for votes at 16 and what the EC will be doing around registration for this. 

VR Subject to Westminster approval, this could be in place for the next UKPGE. Significant work will be needed, including stakeholder engagement and age-appropriate education for under-16s. Digitised UK birth certificates since 2009 may help reach young people effectively. 

VR confirmed that 2027 will be too early for votes at 16. 

4.2 Communications and Engagement Update – NB 

“Welcome To Your Vote Week” was delivered in partnership with Northern Ireland Youth Forum, building on previous successes. Recruitment is underway for a new Partnership and Education Officer in Belfast to further our partnership and engagement activity in Northern Ireland. Ongoing engagement with Education Minister Paul Givan and his department continues around votes at 16, and a Curriculum Taskforce has been established to support this work.

Meetings were also held with Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly Edwin Poots to address candidate abuse and intimidation, which is supported by the Speaker’s Office. A session on political donations was also delivered to MLAs at Stormont. Plans are in place to meet with the Permanent Secretary and Minister of the Department for the Economy to further this work. 

4.3 Staff Changes at the Commission - RM
RM introduced himself as the new manager at the Commission’s NI Office and gave a brief background of his work at the NI Executive’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Directorate and in the victims and survivor’s sector. 
RM also informed the panel of changes to the team with new colleagues Justyne Murnaghan and Peter Taylor taking the role of Support and Information Officer and Senior Electoral Administration Officer respectively whilst James Ringland will be moving into the role of Electoral Observers Officer. 
KR wished the new team well and thanks JR for his work in the NI team. 

The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI) has developed a business plan and is negotiating funding with the NIO. They are preparing for the implementation of votes at 16 and planning for the 2027 elections, while continuing to support the register to vote service. Due to the 2021 canvass, some electors are set to be removed from the register in 2027, with advance notices being issued this year. EONI will relocate to new premises in Stranmillis on 1 July and no longer accept walk-ins. A working group with council officials has also been established to coordinate planning for the 2027 elections.

RMcD responded to a query from PK regarding whether there had been any discussion about increasing the candidate spending limit at the next local Government elections in 2027  

The Commission’s report on the last local government elections, highlighted that the current candidate limit had fettered candidate’s ability to campaign effectively given the impact of inflation. We recommended that the UK Government should review the limit for the next local government elections. The Commission has raised the matter on a number of occasions in discussions with officials in the Northern Ireland Office of the UK Government and will continue to do so.  

PK asked if we would expect any new limits to be similar to the limits in GB, RMcD advised we would expect them to similar provided the size of the district electoral areas were comparable. 

a. 07 July 2025 - Deadline for audited statement of accounts (For parties with income of expenditure over 250k) for year-end 31 December.  

b. 30 July 2025 - Deadline for submitting Quarter 2 (1 April 2025–30 June 2025) donations and loans reports  

c. 30 October 2025 - Deadline for submitting Quarter 3 (1 July 2025–30 September 2025) donations and loans reports 

AC from 50:50 NI actively works to promote gender parity in elected governance.

Efforts are ongoing to increase the representation of women in politics, with particular attention to the barriers they face, especially online abuse. AC has written a policy paper that highlights the need to distinguish gender-based violence from general abuse, framing women's access to political life as a human rights issue. Abuse in Northern Ireland is often shaped by a mix of misogyny and sectarianism and is a major reason why many women either leave politics or never get involved. Northern Ireland's smaller political landscape means politicians are more accessible, which can make them more vulnerable to personal attacks. International evidence, such as in Canada, shows that having more women in leadership improves public wellbeing. 

There is also a legislative gap in tackling new forms of abuse, such as explicit artificial intelligence generated images, which are not covered by current “revenge porn” laws. Cases like those of elected representatives Diane Forsythe and Cara Hunter have shown how online abuse disproportionately targets women. Groups such as 50:50 NI believe that women elected in Northern Ireland should be trained on what is legal and illegal, how to report abuse, and how to protect themselves.

Organisations like Glitch and Women for Election already offer online self-defence training, which could be adapted for local candidates. There are also plans to establish an all-island peer support network. As the House of Commons updates its code of conduct on online behaviour, there is a strong case for councils and the Northern Ireland Assembly to do the same, particularly as some abuse comes from within parties themselves. 

VR explained how there is a pilot in Scotland where there is a dedicated team to work on investigating the origins of anonymous online abuse and taking legal action where appropriate. Alongside this the EC will be piloting a deepfake detection system in 2026 Scottish and Welsh Elections. Despite positive approach in tackling this issue, it is hoped the parties work with the Commission and Police to do so. 

KR asked parties to hold the 7th and 28th October as potential dates and that the EC will get in touch regarding this. 

RM explained that the EC will be reviewing the NIAPP meetings going forward and this will be done in consultation with the Parties. 

Actions: 

1. Share Policy Paper from Aoife Clements with the Parties.
2. Confirm Date of next NIAPP meeting.
3. Consult with parties on the review of the NIAPP meetings.