TRANSPARENCY OF POLITICAL DONATIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

That this House notes the approval of the Transparency of Donations and Loans etc. (Northern Ireland Political Parties) Order 2018 on 7 March 2018; regrets that this Order does not live up to the Government's commitment to backdate these provisions to 2014 as provided for in the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014; congratulates the former hon. Member for East Belfast, Naomi Long, on securing provision in that Act which allows for transparency provisions to be backdated to 2014; further notes that on 27 February 2018 during a discussion on the draft Order in the House of Lords the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern lreland Lord Duncan stated that we are not ruling out the re-examination of the period that precedes 1 July 2017; is concerned that this Order prevents proper scrutiny of donations to political parties in Northern Ireland during the EU referendum campaign; and calls on the Government to follow the advice of the Electoral Commission by bringing forward another order at the earliest convenience to backdate the provisions to 2014.