1/ Declaration of interests 

This declaration of interests is based upon the register of interests you will have to sign if elected as a Member of Parliament. It will be held by the Liberal Democrat Candidates’ Office and, if you are elected, will be passed to the Liberal Democrat Whips’ Office in the House of Commons. It is your responsibility to keep this information as held by the Candidates’ Office or Whips’ Office up to date while you are the Liberal Democrat PPC or MP for any Parliamentary Constituency.

Please include details of all employment as well as assets from which income is derived. Please note that remuneration includes taxable expenses, allowances (including councillors’ allowances) or benefits. 

HEREBY DECLARE that my financial interests (including, for this purpose, the separate interests of any person with whom you are in a ‘spousal’ partnership and minor children) are as follows:

1.    Remunerated directorships of companies, public or private:

Nil

2.    Remunerated employments or offices (signify nature of office and identity of employer):

3.    Remunerated trades, professions, consultancies or vocations (specify nature of work and identity of person to whom services rendered):

4.    Any payments or any material benefits or advantages received from or on behalf of any companies, organisations or persons within the United Kingdom:

5.    Any payments or any material benefits or advantages received from or on behalf of foreign Governments, organisations or persons:

6.    Land and property of a substantial value or from which a substantial income is derived:

7.    The names of companies or other bodies in which a beneficial interest in shareholdings of a nominal value greater than one-hundredth of the issued share capital is held:

In addition, have you within the period of twelve months preceding the date hereof transferred any property or any interest in any company or other body to a family member (i.e. any person with whom you are in a ‘spousal’ partnership, parent or child) or to any person who will hold the same upon trust either express or implied or as a nominee for you or any member of your family: 

If yes, please give details on a separate signed, dated and witnessed sheet.

Declaration

(A)         I declare that all information given in this Declaration of Interests, and in any additional document I may supply to accompany this Declaration of Interests, is true and complete, that nothing material has been omitted, and that the information includes the separate interests of my spouse and minor children.

(B)         In signing this declaration I understand that, if I am elected to Parliament, this document will be passed to the Liberal Democrat Whips’ Office in the House of Commons, and that my entry into the Parliamentary Party of the Liberal Democrats and receipt of the Liberal Democrat Whip are conditional on this declaration being complete and up to date.

(C)         I undertake to inform the Liberal Democrat Candidates’ Office of any material change to this Declaration of Interests while I am a Liberal Democrat PPC. If elected to Parliament, I undertake to inform the Liberal Democrat Whips’ Office in the House of Commons of any material change to this Declaration of Interests while I am a Liberal Democrat MP.

(D)         In signing this declaration I accept that, if any information is false, this shall constitute prima facie grounds for my removal from the list of Approved Candidates, and, if elected to Parliament, may result in the Whip being withdrawn.

(E)         If elected to Parliament I undertake to complete, and keep up to date, the Official Register of Interests or equivalent as supplied to Members as well any declaration required by the Electoral Commission.

(F)          If elected to Parliament I agree to be bound by the rules of the Parliamentary Group, and in particular to any rules in respect of Parliamentary Allowances.

Eligibility Criteria

Certain categories of people are not legally eligible to stand for Parliament. It is the responsibility of Parliamentary Candidates to ensure that they are legally eligible to stand for election to the House of Commons or European Parliament. Details of the relevant Acts of Parliament can be found via the following link to the Office of Public Sector Information website.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of the categories of people who are identified as ineligible to stand for Parliament in statute or common law. In some cases although a person may be legally ineligible to stand he or she may be eligible to become an approved candidate (e.g. if he or she is currently under 18 but is likely to turn 18 before nominations close for the next General Election). Therefore, if any of the following apply or may apply to you, you must contact the Candidates’ Office with full details. Failure to do so will constitute prima facie grounds for removal from the list of Approved Candidates.

 People who are not eligible to stand for Parliament ^{(source: The Agent’s Manual 2007 ed.)}

·         Aliens[1] - Westminster Parliamentary candidates must be citizens of the UK, the Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth. European Parliamentary candidates must be citizens of the EU resident in the UK.

·         Infants^* - people under the age of 18.

·         Lunatics^* - if their mental illness means they are not in possession of their mental faculties (e.g. they have just been detained under the Mental Health Act).

·         Peers of the Realm - members of the current House of Lords (with the exception of Irish Peers). Ex-members of the House of Lords are entitled to stand for the House of Commons.

·         Bankrupts^* - if they are currently un-discharged bankrupts, or if they were discharged less than five years ago.

·         Convicts^* - currently detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, or at large when they should be detained!

·         Office Holders - civil servants, members of the armed forces, police, those holding certain judicial offices, and members of named tribunals, commissions and bodies.

·         Disqualified - by reason of having been convicted of corrupt practices and banned from

standing.

 Other legal issues

Many standard election law reference works contain information suggesting that people who are “Deaf and Dumb” cannot stand for Parliament.  This is an archaic term that is now generally considered offensive and is very difficult to define in modern terms. In addition, the relevant area of common law is a complex one that may be in conflict with subsequent Disability and Human Rights legislation. If you are concerned that this may affect you, please contact the Candidates’ Office for further advice. This will not affect your eligibility to become an approved candidate.

Personal Disclosure

In addition to signing the code of conduct, and confirming that they are legally eligible to stand for election the Party has identified the following specific circumstances which applicants for approval are required to disclose on application. If any of the following apply or may apply to you, you must contact the Candidates’ Office with full details. This will not necessarily affect your application for approval, but failure to disclose any relevant information will constitute prima facie grounds for removal from the list of Approved Candidates.

1. You have at any time been convicted of any offence by any court, whether civil or military, in the UK or elsewhere.         
2. You have at any time, in the UK or elsewhere, been censured, disciplined or publicly criticised by any professional body to which you belong or belonged, or been dismissed on disciplinary grounds from any office or employment, or been refused entry to any profession or occupation.
3. You have at any time been adjudicated bankrupt by a court in the UK or elsewhere.

4. You have or have ever had any County Court judgements against you.

5. You have, in connection with the formation or management of any body corporate, been adjudged by a court in the UK or elsewhere, civilly or criminally liable for any fraud, misfeasance or other misconduct towards such a body, or any members thereof, or to persons with whom the body corporate had dealings.

6. Any body corporate with which you were associated as a director or principal shareholder, in the UK or elsewhere, has been compulsorily wound up or made any compromise or arrangement with its creditors who did not receive or have not yet received full settlement of their claims, either whilst you were associated with it or within one year after you ceased to be associated with it.

7. There are any proceedings, whether criminal or civil, now pending or threatened against you, or any circumstances now subsist, which could give rise to any such proceedings following an affirmative answer to any of 1 to 6 above.

8. There are any aspects of your private or public life that might have a detrimental effect on your candidacy or your career if elected, or have the potential to bring you or the Party into disrepute.

Declaration

The Liberal Democrats reserve the right at any time to check on any experience, achievements, qualifications and skills claimed by you on your application form and on any information provided by you in support of your application. By signing this form you will be providing us with your agreement for us to proceed with this course of action.

I declare that to the best of my knowledge and belief, all particulars I have given as part of my application for approval as a Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate are complete and true. 

I declare that I will sign and keep up to date all personal and financial declarations as required.

I declare that I will abide by the Code of Conduct for Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidates.

I declare that I have read the Eligibility Criteria and Personal Disclosure information, and that I have notified the Candidates’ Office of any relevant information as required.

I declare that I will in the future notify the Candidates’ Office of any change in my circumstances in relation to the Eligibility Criteria and Personal Disclosure information.

I understand that any false declaration or misleading statement or any significant omission in the information I provide may constitute prima facie grounds for my removal from the list of approved candidates and, if elected to Parliament, may result in the Whip being withdrawn.

I agree for any personal data I provide to the Candidates’ Office be held in accordance with the Liberal Democrat privacy policy, a copy of which is available on the Liberal Democrat website.

3/ Postal votes

Dear Candidate or Agent

Parliamentary general elections 2010

From the Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary and the Acting Returning Officer

We are writing jointly to all candidates and agents in the forthcoming UK Parliamentary election 2010.  We wish to underline the need for high standards of conduct to be maintained by all concerned.

We are, with this objective in mind, invited to sign the voluntary declaration on the separate form that relates to the attached Code of conduct on the handling of postal vote applications and postal ballot papers which has been endorsed by the major political parties at Westminster, confirming that you and your supporters will comply with the Code.  The (Acting) Returning Officer would be pleased to receive a signed copy from you.

The Association of Chief Police Officers and the Electoral Commission have once again this year jointly agreed Guidance on preventing and detecting electoral malpractice for use at the election this year in England and Wales.  The police and the Returning Officer’s staff have a well established close working relationship and will work determinedly within the Guidance to prevent and detect any wrongdoing.

You are encouraged to make yourself familiar with the Code of conduct on the handling of postal vote applications and postal ballot papers and ensure that anyone who works for you in any capacity during the election follows the Code strictly.  You should, therefore, ensure that your campaign workers are familiar with its contents.

We wish to make it absolutely clear that any abuse of the arrangements for postal voting is very likely to constitute an offence under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and will not be tolerated.  All candidates and agents are expected to do all within their power to ensure that their campaign workers and supporters do not engage in any abuse of the system for postal voting or any other aspect of the arrangements for the election.

Any suspicion of unlawful conduct should be reported to the Acting Returning Officer or the police.  The Acting Returning Officer may in turn refer the matter to the police.  The Derbyshire Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service will consider any evidence on unlawful conduct and, if necessary, prosecutions will be brought against offenders.

We are pleased to note that the total number of cases of alleged electoral malpractice in England and Wales has fallen over the last two years and that of those very few have been substantiated and required court proceedings.  Of those cases that have come to court in recent years, most have resulted in the offenders being given significant prison sentences.

Please be assured that we are committed to doing all we can to prevent any increase in the number of cases of alleged electoral malpractice at the 2010 election and that where allegations are made we will investigate and prosecutions may result.

Yours sincerely

Mike Goodwin                                              Mick Creedon

(Acting) Returning Officer                         Chief Constable

 Annex B

I confirm that all persons acting on my/my candidates behalf, at the 2010 Parliamentary general election have been made aware of and will comply with the national Code of conduct on handling applications to vote by post and postal ballots, agreed 2006 and current for elections in 2010.

Candidate/Election Agent*

*Delete as appropriate

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Last modified: 05-06-2010