13.The Prime Minister announced, on 12 November 1997, extended terms of reference for the Committee on Standards in Public Life, chaired by Lord Neill of Bladen QC (the ‘Neill Committee’), to enable the Committee to study the funding of political parties. These additional terms of reference were:
“To review issues in relation to the funding of political parties, and to make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements.”
14.In a submission from the Home Office dated 6 March 1998, the Government sought the Neill Committee’s advice on the following specific topics:
15.The Neill Committee addressed these points, and others, in their Fifth Report on the Funding of Political Parties in the United Kingdom published in October 1998 (Cm 4057). Altogether the report contained one hundred recommendations dealing with the reporting of donations, the banning of foreign donations, shareholder approval for donations by companies, financing political parties in Parliament, limits on election campaign expenditure, the conduct of referendums, media and advertising, and the Honours system.
16.The Government’s response to the Neill Committee’s report was set out in a White Paper (Cm 4413) published on 27 July 1999. The White Paper included a draft Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill which set out legislative proposals for giving effect to the Neill Committee’s recommendations.
Background