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“We welcome the announcement by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that he has written to the political parties in Northern Ireland seeking their views on whether the time is now right to move towards full transparency.

“We have consistently called for increased transparency on how political parties are funded in Northern Ireland, most recently in our report on the Northern Ireland Assembly election published in September 2016. Such a move will only help to increase public confidence in the democratic process.

“We look forward to hearing the outcome of this consultation and are ready to work closely with the NIO to progress this issue.”

EndsFor further information please contact Cahir Hughes on 028 9089 4023 or press@electoralcommission.org.uk. Out of office hours- 07789 920 414.

Notes to editors

1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendum held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).
2. In September 2016 we published our independent statutory report on the administration of the Northern Ireland Assembly election held on 5 May 2016.  The Electoral Commission’s report on the election is available to view here.