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Addition of new section to Act of 1997.
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7.—The Act of 1997 is hereby amended by the insertion of the following section after section 24:
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“Prohibition on acceptance of donations in certain circumstances.
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24A.—(1) This section applies to a person who—
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(a) is a candidate of a political party at a Dáil, Seanad, European or local election,
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(b) is a member of a political party and is—
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(i) a member of either House of the Oireachtas,
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(ii) a member of a local authority, or
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(iii) a representative in the European Parliament, or
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(c) is any other officer, member or agent of a political party or of any branch or subsidiary organisation thereof.
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(2) A person to whom this section applies shall not accept a donation if he or she knows or has reason to believe that the person proffering the donation—
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(a) will, as a result of that donation and another donation, be required to furnish a written statement under section 24(1A) that includes the value of the donation being proffered, and
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(b) does not intend to comply with that requirement.
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(3) Where, notwithstanding subsection (2), a donation is made to a person who is prohibited by that subsection from accepting the donation, he or she shall, within 14 days after receiving the donation—
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(a) notify the Public Offices Commission in writing of its receipt and of the name and address of the donor, and
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(b) remit the donation or its value to that Commission.
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(4) The Public Offices Commission shall—
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(a) cause a copy of each notification received under subsection (3) to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas, and
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(b) dispose of all moneys, property or goods received under that subsection in such manner as may be directed by the Minister for Finance.”.
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