§ Baroness Hilton of Eggardonasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to receive the Fifth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. [HL3413]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)The report is published today as Cm 4057.
The Government strongly welcome the committee's report. We are committed to reforming and regulating the way political parties are funded. Public confidence in the political system demands that it is open, honest and transparent.
In our manifesto we promised three things:
- to require disclosure of donations above a minimum figure;
- to ban foreign funding; and
- to ask the Committee on Standards in Public Life to consider how the funding of political parties should be regulated and reformed.
The committee's work contains a wide range of proposals which enables us to deliver our commitments in full.
We will therefore legislate on the main findings of the report. To this end, we will publish a draft Bill before next year's summer Recess to allow political parties and other interested bodies to comment on what will be detailed and complex legislation.
As a result, robust and rigorous rules governing the funding of political parties will be in place before the next general election.