Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether grants to political parties through the Westminster Foundation for Democracy will be permissible given the new profit test for company donations in the Representation of the People Bill.

We are legislating in the Representation of the People Bill so that companies that wish to make political donations will need to meet new eligibility criteria showing they have made sufficient profit to fund their donations; and that they are majority owned or controlled by UK electors or citizens.

There are many legitimate non-profit organisations that are established as companies. These companies may still be eligible to make donations provided they can provide evidence of income equivalent to profit, in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.