Application Form
Register of Corporate Donors
Electoral Act 1997, as amended
September 2015
Please Complete, Print, Sign and Return to the Standards Commission
Contact Details:
Standards in Public Office Commission
18 Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2
Telephone:
Email:
Website:
Twitter:
(01) 6395666
sipo@sipo.gov.ie
www.sipo.gov.ie
@SIPOCIreland
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Application Form
Register of Corporate Donors
Electoral Act 1997, as amended
Prior to completing the application, please read the attached Explanatory Note.
Part 1:
Name and Address of Corporate Donor:
Landline:
Mobile:
Email:
Part 2:
Name and address of person responsible
for organisation, management or financial
affairs of Corporate Donor:
Landline:
Mobile:
Email:
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Part 3: Statement of the purposes for which Corporate Donor was formed.
The statement can be attached to the application.
Part 4: List of each member, shareholder, or trustee of the Corporate
Donor as of 31 December preceding application.
The list can be attached to the application.
Part 5: In the case of a Corporate Donor which was formed on or before 1
January of the year preceding the application, the applicant must furnish
the following:
(i)
Copy of its statement of accounts for that year and
(ii)
if applicable, a copy of the annual report for that year.
These can be attached to the application.
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Part A of Statutory Declaration
(To be completed in full by the Corporate Donor)
I (Corporate Donor) ............................................................, do solemnly and sincerely declare
that the attached Application for Register of Corporate Donors and accompanying information
is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, correct in every material respect and that I took all
reasonable action in order to be satisfied as to its accuracy and I make this solemn declaration
conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the Statutory Declarations Act
1938.
Signature of Corporate Donor ...........................................................
Part B of Statutory Declaration (to be completed in full by the witness)
When completing this part the witness needs to state whether the person making the
statutory declaration is known to him/her or has been identified to him/her by another
person or by one of the documents referred to below
Declared before me (name of witness in capital letters here)..................................................,
a notary public/ commissioner for oaths/ peace commissioner/ practising solicitor (delete as
appropriate) by (Insert name of member furnishing the statement)
.......................................................................................... who is personally known to me,
or
who is identified to me by................................................ who is personally known to me,
or
whose identity has been established to me before the taking of this Declaration by the
production to me of Passport no. ................................ issued on [date of issue]
.............................. by the authorities of [issuing state] .................................................which is
an authority recognised by the Irish Government
or
National identity card no. ...................................... issued on [date of issue]
..........................by the authorities of [issuing state]...........................................( which is
an EU Member State, the Swiss Confederation or a Contracting Party to the EEA
Agreement )
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or
Aliens Passport no. ................................................ issued on [date of issue] ..........................
by the authorities of [issuing state]......................................... which is an authority
recognised by the Irish Government
or
refugee travel document no. ......................................issued on [date of issue]
............................... by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence
or
travel document (other than refugee travel document) no. ................................. issued on
[date of issue].............................. by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence
Signature of witness:.......................................................................................
Category of witness* ......................................................................................
Place of Signature: ..........................................................................................
Date: ......................................
*In order to qualify, the witness must be a Commissioner for Oaths, Notary
Public, Peace Commissioner, or practicing Solicitor.
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Explanatory Note for Applicants
In accordance with the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012, corporate donors are
obliged to register with the Standards in Public Office Commission by 31 December each year.
The onus is on the corporate donor to register and to ensure that the details provided are correct.
The Guidelines for the Register of Corporate Donors are available on the Commission’s website
(www.sipo.gov.ie).
Corporate Donor
For the purposes of the legislation, a corporate donor is defined as:
(a) a body corporate,
(b) an unincorporated body of persons, or,
(c) a trust,
which makes a donation, and for the purpose of this definition a body corporate and any subsidiary
thereof shall be deemed to be one person.
Applicant
For the purposes of the legislation, an applicant is defined as:
(a) in the case of a company, by a director or other officer of the company,
(b) in the case of a body corporate other than a company or an unincorporated body of
persons, by any other officer of the body or any person for the time being performing the
functions of an officer of the body,
(c) in the case of a trust, by a trustee of the trust.
In accordance with the legislation, 'company' means a company established under the Companies
Acts.
Application
The applicant must complete a written application stating the name and address of the corporate
donor and the name and address of the person responsible for the organisation, management or
financial affairs of the Corporate Donor. The application must also contain a statement of the
purposes for which the corporate donor was formed, contain a list of each member, shareholder or
trustee of the corporate donor as of 31 December preceding the application, contain, in the case of
a corporate donor which was formed on or before the first day of January of the year preceding the
application a copy of its statement of accounts for that year and, if applicable, a copy of the annual
report for that year.
Address of Corporate Donor
For the purposes of the legislation, the address of the Corporate Donor is defined as:
(a) in the case of a company, the address of its registered office,
(b) in the case of a body corporate other than a company or an unincorporated body of
persons, the address of its principal office or place of business, or
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(c) in the case of a trust, the address of the principle office of place of business or residential
address of the trustee.
The application must be accompanied by a statutory declaration that to the best of the knowledge
and belief of the person concerned, the information provided on the application form is correct in
every material respect and that the person has taken all reasonable action in order to satisfy
him/herself as to the accuracy of the information.
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Useful Information
Value of
donation
€100
€100
€200
€200
€200
€600
€1,000
€1,500
€1,500
€2,500
Net valuation of donation (from fundraising events, etc.) determines
disclosability. Section 22(2)(vi) & Section 46(2)(a)(vi)
An anonymous donation exceeding this amount cannot be accepted in any
calendar year. Section 23(1) & Section 47(1)
On receipt of a donation of this value, a political donations account must be
opened by a TD, Senator, MEP, candidate at a Dáil, Seanad or European
election, Presidential candidate/election agent, political party, sub-unit of a
political party (e.g., branches, accounting units, cumann, a Comhairle Dáil
Ceantair or any other sub-unit), or a third party (if one has not already been
opened). Section 23B(1) & Section 48B(1)
Maximum cash donation that may be accepted by TD, Senator, MEP,
candidate at a Dáil, Seanad or European election, Presidential
candidate/election agent, political party, sub-unit of a political party or a third
party from a donor in any calendar year. Section 23A(1)(iii) & Section
48A(1)(iii)
Maximum donation that may be accepted by TD, Senator, MEP, candidate at
a Dáil, Seanad or European election, Presidential candidate/election agent,
political party, sub-unit of a political party or a third party in any calendar
year, from a corporate donor unless the corporate donor is registered in the
Register of Corporate Donors maintained by the Commission and a
statement, on behalf of the corporate donor confirming that the making of the
donation was approved by the corporate donor, is furnished with the donation
to the donee. Section 23AA(1)(i) & (ii) and Section 48AA(1)(i) & (ii)
Maximum aggregate donation that company, trade union, society or building
society can give before reporting it in annual returns made under the
Companies Act, 1963, or to the Registrar of Friendly Societies or the report
of a building society (under the Building Societies Act, 1989). Section 26
All donations received by a TD, Senator, MEP, candidate at a Dáil, Seanad or
European election, or Presidential candidate/election agent exceeding this
mount must be disclosed on the Donation Statement. Section 24(4) &
Section 48(1)
Maximum donation that may be accepted by a TD, Senator, MEP, candidate
at a Dáil, Seanad or European election, or Presidential candidate/election
agent from an individual or a registered corporate donor in any calendar year.
Section 23A(1)(i) & Section 48A(1)(i)
All donations received by a political party exceeding this amount must be
disclosed on the Donation Statement. Section 24(4)
Reporting threshold/maximum aggregate amount in any calendar year that a
donor can give to multiple candidates of the same party or to one or more
party members and to the party itself before the donor is required to submit a
donation statement. Section 24(1A)(a)
Maximum donation that may be accepted by political party, sub-unit of a
political party, or a third party from an individual or a registered corporate
donor in any calendar year. Section 23A(1)(ii) & Section 48A(1)(ii)
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Relevant dates
14 Days
14 Days
14 Days
8 Weeks
31 December
Time within which donee must return prohibited donation to Corporate Donor or
notify and remit to the Standards Commission. Section 23AA(6)
Time within which applicant can correct error on application to be entered on
Register starting on date of notification to the applicant. Section 23D(7)(b)
Time within which applicant can appeal decision to refuse application for entry on
Register starting on date of notification issued to applicant. Section 23D(7)(d)
Period up to 31 December during which Corporate Donor can apply for reregistration on an annual basis. Section 23D(11)
Period for which entry in the register following application is valid, up to and
including 31 December next following entry. Section 23D(10)
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