REVEALED - How much money did political parties receive?

Sinn Féin could be fined after they failed to meet the deadline for reporting donations for this quarter.

Author: Sasha WyliePublished 30th May 2018

Six political parties registered in Northern Ireland reported accepting a total of £277,039 in donations and public funds between 1 January and 31 March 2018 –according to figures published in Northern Ireland by the Electoral Commission.

Two parties, Sinn Féin and United Kingdom Veterans' and People's Party, failed to meet the deadline for reporting donations for this quarter.

The Commission said they will consider each of these matters in line with its enforcement policy.

The six political parties to report donations and public funds were:

The £4,000 given to the DUP came from Belfast International Airport, while the £2,000 the UUP received was from James Kingan.

Registered political parties in Northern Ireland are required to ensure that any donations received over £500 come from a permissible source.

This can include individuals on the UK electoral register, Irish citizens or UK or Irish companies.

Any donation to the central party with a value over £7,500 must be reported to the Electoral Commission on a quarterly basis.

Ann Watt, Head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland said:

“This is the second time that we have published data on how much funding political parties in Northern Ireland are receiving. We welcome the public scrutiny and transparency this allows within our democratic process.

“However on this occasion it is disappointing to report that two parties failed to deliver their returns on time. Where there is no reasonable explanation for such a failure we will take a robust approach in line with our Enforcement Policy.”