Citation and commencement

1. This Order may be cited as the Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) Order 2006 and shall come into force on 1st April 2006.

Policy development grants

2. The scheme set out in the Schedule to this Order shall have effect for the purpose of the making by the Commission of policy development grants on or after the date on which this Order comes into force.

Revocation

3. The Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) Order 2002( 2 ) is revoked.

Article 2

SCHEDULE POLICY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS SCHEME 2006

Citation and commencement

1. —(1) This Scheme may be cited as the Policy Development Grants Scheme 2006.

(2) In this Scheme—

“the Act” means the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 ;

“election” does not include an election to fill a casual vacancy;

“eligible party”, in relation to a year, means a party which is eligible for a grant in respect of that year by virtue of paragraph 3 below;

“English voters”, in relation to a Westminster election or a European election, means the number of persons who voted in England at that election;

“European election” means an election of members of the European Parliament;

“grant” means a policy development grant within the meaning of section 12 (policy development grants) of the Act;

“Northern Ireland election” means an election of members of the Northern Ireland Assembly;

“Northern Ireland voters”, in relation to a Westminster election, a European election or a Northern Ireland election, means the number of persons who voted in Northern Ireland at that election;

“Scottish election” means an election of members of the Scottish Parliament;

“Scottish voters”, in relation to a Westminster election, a European election or a Scottish election, means the number of persons who voted in Scotland at that election;

“UK electorate”—

“Welsh election” means an election of members of the National Assembly for Wales;

“Welsh voters”, in relation to a Westminster election, a European election or a Welsh election, means the number of persons who voted in Wales at that election;

“Westminster election” means a parliamentary election other than a Scottish election; and

“year” means a period of twelve months ending on 31st March.

(3) Other terms used both in this Scheme and in the Act have the same meaning in this Scheme as they have in the Act.

(4) Any reference in this Scheme to a percentage is a reference to a percentage corrected to two decimal places.

Scheme period

2. This scheme has effect in relation to years commencing with the year ending on 31st March 2007.

Eligible parties

3. —(1) A party listed in sub-paragraph (2) is eligible for grant under this Scheme—

(a) in respect of the year ending on 31st March 2007, if, on the date on which the Elections (Policy Development Grants Scheme) Order 2006 is made, it is represented for the purposes of section 12 of the Act( 3 );

(b) in respect of any later year for which this Scheme has effect if, on 7th March preceding the beginning of the year in question, it is represented for the purposes of section 12 of the Act.

(2) The parties are—

(a) the Conservative Party,

(b) the Democratic Unionist Party,

(c) the Labour Party,

(d) the Liberal Democrat Party,

(e) Plaid Cymru,

(f) the Scottish National Party, and

(g) the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

Amount available for allocation by the Commission

4. The amount available for allocation by the Commission in each year for which this Scheme has effect is £2 million.

Allocation between eligible parties

5. In each year for which this Scheme has effect the Commission shall allocate the money provided for the making of grants in that year so that—

(a) the Conservative party, the Labour party, and the Liberal Democrat party may each receive an amount not exceeding the aggregate of—

(i) the amount determined by dividing £1 million by the number of eligible parties; and

(ii) the amount determined for that year in accordance with paragraphs 6 to 8;

(b) the Democratic Unionist party and the Social Democratic and Labour party may each receive an amount not exceeding the aggregate of—

(i) the amount determined by dividing £1 million by the number of eligible parties; and

(ii) the amount determined for that year in accordance with paragraphs 6, 7 and 9; and

(c) Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party may each receive an amount not exceeding the aggregate of—

(i) the amount determined by dividing £1 million by the number of eligible parties; and

(ii) the amount calculated in accordance with paragraphs 6 and 7 as its notional share for that year.

Initial attributions

6. —(1) The Commission shall attribute—

(a) to England such amount as bears to £1 million the same proportion as the relevant number for England bears to the UK electorate;

(b) to Northern Ireland such amount as bears to £1 million the same proportion as the relevant number for Northern Ireland bears to the UK electorate;

(c) to Scotland such amount as bears to £1 million the same proportion as the relevant number for Scotland bears to the UK electorate; and

(d) to Wales such amount as bears to £1 million the same proportion as the relevant number for Wales bears to the UK electorate.

(2) In sub-paragraph (1), “the relevant number”—

(a) in relation to the year ending on 31st March 2007, means—

(i) for England, 37,151,991,

(ii) for Northern Ireland, 1,153,409,

(iii) for Scotland, 3,861,207, and

(iv) for Wales, 2,236,808;

(b) in relation to any later year, means—

(i) for England, such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March preceding the beginning of the year in question as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register in England on 1st December preceding that 7th March,

(ii) for Northern Ireland, such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March preceding the beginning of the year in question as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register in Northern Ireland on 1st December preceding that 7th March,

(iii) for Scotland, such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March preceding the beginning of the year in question as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register in Scotland on 1st December preceding that 7th March,

(iv) for Wales, such number published by the Commission not later than 7th March preceding the beginning of the year in question as is calculated by the Commission to be equal to the total number of persons whose names appeared on an electoral register in Wales on 1st December preceding that 7th March.

Calculation of notional shares

7. —(1) An eligible party’s notional share of an amount attributed in accordance with paragraph 6 is the aggregate of its share for each of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales determined in accordance with sub-paragraph (2) below.

(2) The share for each country is the amount found by the application of the formula—

(3) A party’s weighted vote share—

(a) for England, is the figure found by applying the formula—

(b) for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, is the number found by the application (separately as regards each country) of the formula—

Determination of Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat shares

8. The Commission shall—

(a) add the notional shares calculated in accordance with paragraph 7 for the Conservative party, the Labour party, and the Liberal Democrat party; and

(b) divide the resultant amount by three.

Determination of Democratic Unionist and Social Democratic and Labour shares

9. The Commission shall—

(a) add the notional shares calculated in accordance with paragraph 7 for the Democratic Unionist party and the Social Democratic and Labour party; and

(b) divide the resultant amount by two.