Electoral Act, 1997

Making of payments.

19.—(1) Subject to subsections (2), (3) and (4), payments under this section shall be made by the Minister for Finance in quarterly instalments in arrears.

(2) (a) The first payment under this section shall not be made until not less than three months have elapsed after the coming into operation of this Part.

(b) Payments made under this section, calculated in accordance with section 17 , after the date on which this Part comes into operation shall apply from the said date and such payments so calculated shall continue to be made in respect of the period up to and including the day before polling day at the general election held next after the said date.

(c) Payments made under this section after the general election next held after the coming into operation of this Part and each subsequent general election shall apply from polling day at such election and such payments, calculated in accordance with section 17 , shall continue to be made in respect of the period up to and including the day before polling day at the general election held next after the first-mentioned polling day.

(3) Where, on a dissolution of the Dáil, the period between the end of the quarter in respect of which payments were last made or due to be made before such dissolution and the polling day at the general election occasioned by such dissolution is a period of less than a quarter, the payments due to qualified parties for such period, calculated accordingly, shall be made to such qualified parties for such period.

(4) No payment shall be made under this section after the thirtieth day of April in any year (other than the year in which this Part comes into operation) unless and until the statement and the report of the auditor referred to in section 20 and the donation statement and statutory declaration referred to in section 24 as respect the party concerned for the preceding year have been received by the Public Offices Commission and the said Commission has furnished a copy thereof to the Minister for Finance and certified to the said Minister that the said statement and report, and the said donation statement and statutory declaration were completed in accordance with guidelines issued by the Commission under section 4 and comply with the provisions of this Part and Part IV , respectively.