Political Parties and Elections Bill
10:21 am
Mr. Straw: You will be familiar with the rules for political funds, which are consolidated in the 1992 Act. I do not apologise for not having that with me, but I am again happy to provide the Committee with a detailed note.
The regime for the operation of political funds was tightened considerably during the 1980s and early 1990s. The regime is now a significant one, because it requires that every 10 years there should be a ballot of all the members of the trade union—regardless of whether they are paying the political levy—to decide whether to continue to operate a political fund.
The regime is very transparent—I am glad you asked the question. There is then a decision made by individual unions whether to affiliate to the Labour party. They either are or are not. Classically, the general unions—ones involved in the private sector—have been and remain affiliated to the Labour party; those involved in the public sector, for obvious reasons, have not been. There is then a process of further openness, through the certification officer. In one or other of the official documents, which I published, there is reference made to the fact that we checked back, in the context of the Hayden Phillips inquiry and subsequent talks—
Mr. DjanoglySecretary of State—