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Political Vetting

01 November 1993

In 1985, Douglas Hurd made a statement in the House of Commons setting out the grounds on which funds to voluntary organisations and community groups would be withheld. These included:

"cases in which some community groups or persons prominent in the direction or management of some community groups, have sufficiently close links with paramilitary organizations to give rise to a grave risk that to give support to those groups would have the effect of improving the standing and furthering the aims of a paramilitary organisation, whether directly or indirectly."

Since then, some 28 groups have had funding withdrawn and many others have had funding refused. This policy has now, for the first time, been enshrined in law. Under the National Lotteries Act 1993, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has the power to direct that money from the lottery will not be distributed to "a) a proscribed organisation for the purposes of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991 or b) any other organisation that appears to him to be concerned in terrorism in Northern Ireland or in promoting or encouraging it, might directly or indirectly derive benefit from the distribution of money to the person specified". Benefit is defined as both financial and "enhancement of reputation". Commenting in Just News, solicitor Geraldine Scullion writes, "Political vetting offends principles of natural justice... the Secretary of State can prohibit a grant of lottery money on the basis of rumour and unchallenged suspicion. No evidence of wrong-doing is required. The information upon which the Secretary of State basis their decisions cannot be disclosed so the rejected applicant has no basis on which to appeal... The clause [24] also weakens available remedies as there is less opportunity to challenge the decision through judicial review."

Just News, vol 8 no 10, p6