Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Rooker (Labour). It was answered by Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 June 2017.

Civil Society and the Democratic Process

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to bring forward amendments to legislation to ensure that civil society plays a meaningful role in the democratic process.

Answer: My Lords, the rules for third-party campaigning are set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The law was changed in 2014 to ensure that third-party campaigning was more transparent and accountable through the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. The Government are keen to ensure that civil society plays a meaningful role in the democratic process, and believe that current legislation facilitates this.

Secondary information