Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
As part of the work to prepare for the Senedd election next year, new campaign expenditure limits must be set. The change to the electoral system means that the existing limits are unsuitable as they are set up for both multi-member regions and single-seat constituencies.
I am pleased to update the Senedd with the proposed limits for both individual candidates and registered parties. This comes after consultations on both the draft Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order and election campaign expenditure limits for political parties at Senedd elections, as well as detailed engagement with the Electoral Commission.
The limit for individual candidates will be set in the forthcoming “Conduct Order”, which establishes the rules for the conduct of Senedd elections. That limit must be on the recommendation of the Electoral Commission, which has now been received. In line with that recommendation, the proposal in the Conduct Order, which will be laid after Easter recess, is for a limit of £52,500. This is the same level as the proposed limit for a party list of one candidate, ensuring parity.
Limits for registered parties are set in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, and draft regulations to revise those limits will be laid before the Senedd in Summer term. These regulations can only be made with the consent of the Electoral Commission, and though formal consent cannot be requested until the draft regulations are complete, in-principle consent has been received on the basis of the following limits:
For a party list of one candidate, the limit proposed is £52,500. This is then proposed to increase by £3,500 for every additional candidate on the list, up to a maximum of £70,000 for a list of six or more. This provides a similar maximum limit to the current system for a party and its candidates standing in every constituency.
Both pieces of secondary legislation will be laid before the Senedd during the Summer term along with explanatory memoranda which will set out in more detail the process undertaken to establish these limits. I look forward to the scrutiny of these important instruments.
This statement is being issued during recess to keep Members informed. Should Members wish me to make a further statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns I would be happy to do so.