To ask the Leader of the House if he will make it his policy not to introduce measures for (a) additional state funding of political parties and (b) new expenditure controls unless there is political consensus between the three main parties on the proposed reforms. (137742)

The Government are committed to working out the practical arrangements needed to take the regulatory framework for party finance and expenditure to new levels of rigour, transparency, fairness and effectiveness. The precise nature of those arrangements will depend on the outcome of cross-party talks, which are being chaired by Sir Hayden Phillips.

The Government believe that all political parties must play a constructive part in those talks so that a system of party finance and expenditure can be agreed in which the public can have confidence.

The Government have this week agreed with the conclusions of the cross-party Constitutional Affairs Committee’s report of December 2006 about the key principles on which any reform should be based.

This is a clear indication of the Government’s constructive approach to the talks, and their hope that a consensus between the parties can be reached.

To ask the Leader of the House if he will make it his policy not to introduce measures on reform of the funding of political parties until the inter-party talks on the funding of political parties chaired by Sir Hayden Phillips have been concluded. (137743)

The Government have no plans to introduce measures on reform of the funding of political parties until the inter-party talks chaired by Sir Hayden Phillips have been concluded.