Short Money
Encyclopedia
Short Money is the common name given to the annual payment to Opposition parties
in the United Kingdom
House of Commons
to help them with their costs. It is named after Edward Short
(now Lord Glenamara), the-then Leader of the House of Commons
who first proposed the payments. Cranborne Money
is its counterpart in the House of Lords
.
Government of 1974–76 following a commitment in the Queen’s Speech
of 12 March 1974: "My Ministers will consider the provision of financial assistance to enable Opposition parties more effectively to fulfil their Parliamentary functions".
Edward Short fleshed out the proposal in a statement on Members’ allowances in July 1974:
The scheme has three components:
Short Money is not available to parties whose Members have not sworn the Oath of Allegiance
(such as Sinn Féin
) because it was introduced to offer assistance for 'parliamentary duties'. A separate scheme (introduced on 8 February 2006) provides funds to parties 'represented by Members who have chosen not to take their seats', providing for 'expenses wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for the employment of staff and related support to Members designated as that party’s spokesman in relation to the party’s representative business'. This is calculated on the same terms as Short Money.
Other opposition parties have access to Short Money to support parliamentary business only and no equivalent extension for representative work has been announced for them.
Travel Expenses for Opposition Parties : From 1 April 2008, £153,956 is apportioned between each of the Opposition parties in the same proportion as the amount given to each of them under the 'General Funding' scheme set out above.
Leader of the Opposition’s Office : £652,936 is available for the running costs of the Leader of the Opposition’s office for the financial year commencing on 1 April 2008. In addition, the Leader of the Opposition, the Opposition Chief Whip and the Assistant Opposition Whip receive a salary from public funds, on top of their parliamentary salary: £73,617, £41,370 and £26,624 respectively.
it has been announced that the Liberal Democrats
are no longer an Opposition Party, and so don't qualify for Short Money.
The Labour Party UK now in opposition will receive £5,481,607.67 from May 2011(excluding travel).
Official Opposition (UK)
Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, or the Official Opposition, in the United Kingdom is led by the Leader of the Opposition. This is usually the political party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons, as the largest party will usually form Her Majesty's Government...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
to help them with their costs. It is named after Edward Short
Edward Short, Baron Glenamara
Edward Watson Short, Baron Glenamara, CH PC is a former Labour Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central, England. He was a minister during the Labour Governments of Harold Wilson...
(now Lord Glenamara), the-then Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
who first proposed the payments. Cranborne Money
Cranborne Money
Cranborne Money is the common name given to the annual payment to Opposition parties in the UK House of Lords to help them with their costs. It is named after Lord Cranborne, who was the leader of the House of Lords when it was introduced on 27 November 1996...
is its counterpart in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Origin
Short Money was introduced by the Harold WilsonHarold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
Government of 1974–76 following a commitment in the Queen’s Speech
Speech from the Throne
A speech from the throne is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign reads a prepared speech to a complete session of parliament, outlining the government's agenda for the coming session...
of 12 March 1974: "My Ministers will consider the provision of financial assistance to enable Opposition parties more effectively to fulfil their Parliamentary functions".
Edward Short fleshed out the proposal in a statement on Members’ allowances in July 1974:
Provision of Short Money
The current scheme is administered under a Resolution of the House of Commons of 26 May 1999. Short Money is made available to all opposition parties in the House of Commons that secured either two seats or one seat and more than 150,000 votes at the previous general election.The scheme has three components:
- Funding to assist an opposition party in carrying out its Parliamentary business
- Funding for the opposition parties’ travel and associated expenses
- Funding for the running costs of the Leader of the Opposition’s office
Short Money is not available to parties whose Members have not sworn the Oath of Allegiance
Oath of Allegiance (UK)
The Oath of Allegiance is a promise to be loyal to the British monarch, and their heirs and successors, sworn by certain public servants in the United Kingdom, and also by newly naturalised subjects in citizenship ceremonies.The Oaths Act 1888 The Oath of Allegiance (Judicial or Official Oath) is...
(such as Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
) because it was introduced to offer assistance for 'parliamentary duties'. A separate scheme (introduced on 8 February 2006) provides funds to parties 'represented by Members who have chosen not to take their seats', providing for 'expenses wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for the employment of staff and related support to Members designated as that party’s spokesman in relation to the party’s representative business'. This is calculated on the same terms as Short Money.
Other opposition parties have access to Short Money to support parliamentary business only and no equivalent extension for representative work has been announced for them.
2009/2010 allocations
General funding for Opposition Parties : From 1 April 2008, eligible parties receive £14,015 for every seat won at the last election plus £27.99 for every 200 votes gained by the party.Travel Expenses for Opposition Parties : From 1 April 2008, £153,956 is apportioned between each of the Opposition parties in the same proportion as the amount given to each of them under the 'General Funding' scheme set out above.
Leader of the Opposition’s Office : £652,936 is available for the running costs of the Leader of the Opposition’s office for the financial year commencing on 1 April 2008. In addition, the Leader of the Opposition, the Opposition Chief Whip and the Assistant Opposition Whip receive a salary from public funds, on top of their parliamentary salary: £73,617, £41,370 and £26,624 respectively.
| Political party | General | Travel | Leader of the Opposition | Total |
|---|
| £4,004,543.00 | £100,427.12 | £652,936.00 | £4,757,906.12 |
| £1,706,587.00 | £42,798.30 | N/A | £1,749,385.30 |
| £141,777.00 | £3,555.53 | N/A | £145,332.53 |
| £66,508.00 | £1,667.91 | N/A | £68,175.91 |
| £159,975.00 | £4,011.90 | N/A | £163,986.90 |
| £59,623.00 | £1,495.24 | N/A | £61,118.24 |
| Political party | General | Travel | Leader of the Opposition | Total |
|---|
| £94,482.00 | £2,340.13 | N/A | £96,822.13 |
2010/2011 allocations
As part of the CoalitionUnited Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)
The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
it has been announced that the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
are no longer an Opposition Party, and so don't qualify for Short Money.
| Political party | General | Travel | Leader of the Opposition | Total |
|---|
| £4,462,554.00 | £129,991.79 | £604,493.00 | £5,197,038.79 |
| £125,591.00 | £3,658.39 | N/A | £129,249.39 |
| £49,873.00 | £1,452.79 | N/A | £51,325.79 |
| £60,328.00 | £1,757.31 | N/A | £62,085.31 |
| £53,280.00 | £1,552.02 | N/A | £54,832.02 |
| £141,489.00 | £4,121.49 | N/A | £145,610.49 |
The Labour Party UK now in opposition will receive £5,481,607.67 from May 2011(excluding travel).
External links
- Short Money — Research notes from the UK Parliament website (PDF)