To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Certification Officer has produced on how trade unions may (i) spend monies from political funds and (ii) purchase memberships of political parties from political funds.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has produced a guide called ‘Trade union political funds: a guide for trade unions, their members and others’. The guide is available at:

http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/BISCore/employment-matters/docs/10-817-trade-union-political-funds-guide.pdf

The Certification Officer has produced a guide called ‘Political funds: guidance for trade unions and employers’ associations wishing to establish a political fund’. The guide is available at:

http://www.certoffice.org/CertificationOfficer/files/48/48158bbc-23a4-4032-abdf-87d56040af28.pdf

Both guides deal with the statutory provisions relating to the spending of trade union and employers' associations funds for political objectives. However, the manner in which those funds are spent is a matter for the trade union's rules.