Local Elections (Disclosure of Donations and Expenditure) Act, 1999

Appointment of national agent.

7.—(1) (a) Before incurring any election expenses at an election, each political party, except a party registered to contest an election in only a part of the State, which authenticates the candidature of a candidate at the election shall appoint for the purposes of this Act an agent (in this Act referred to as a “national agent”).

(b) Not later than the last day for receiving nominations for an election, each political party which is required to appoint a national agent by virtue of paragraph (a) shall notify the specified local authority in writing of the name of its national agent and the address of his or her office.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the appointment by a political party of a candidate at an election as the national agent.

(2) Where a political party referred to in subsection (1) has not, before the latest time for withdrawal of candidature at an election, notified the name of the national agent and the address of the agent's office to the specified local authority, the appropriate officer appointed, or deemed to have been appointed, under section 71 of the Act of 1997, shall be deemed to be the national agent of the party, the party shall be deemed to have revoked the appointment of any other person as the national agent and the provisions of this Act shall apply to the said officer in the same manner as they apply to a national agent.

(3) A political party may, at any time, revoke the appointment of a national agent made by it under this section or deemed to be designated by it by virtue of subsection (2).

(4) (a) If, before the relevant statement of election expenses has been furnished to a specified local authority in accordance with section 13 , the appointment of a national agent is revoked, or a person appointed as such national agent dies, resigns or is otherwise unable to act, another national agent shall be appointed forthwith by the political party concerned.

(b) The provisions of this section shall have effect in relation to an appointment under this subsection and a national agent so appointed shall be subject to the provisions of this Act in the same manner as a national agent appointed otherwise under this section.

(5) As soon as may be after receipt of notification of the appointment of a national agent by a political party, pursuant to subsection (1) or (4) or where, in the absence of such notification, an appointment is deemed to have been made, the specified local authority shall publish in the Iris Oifigiuil the name of the national agent appointed or deemed to have been appointed, as the case may be, under this section, the political party by whom the national agent was appointed, or deemed to have been appointed, and the address of the office of the national agent.