THE Government is expected to next week push through the Electoral Bill which allows for State funding of political parties.
However, it is understood that major elements of the legislation will not be in place in time for the forthcoming general election which is now widely expected to take place on Friday, June 6th.
A Cabinet meeting yesterday agreed to get the legislation, which has been at committee stage for two months, through the Dail "as soon as possible" a Government spokesman said.
Opposition parties claimed last night that the Government is engaging in "the politics of perception". The Fianna Fail spokesman on the environment, Mr Noel Dempsey, accused the Government of "trying to limit the damage caused to Fine Gael, in particular, by the revelations at the Dunnes payments tribunal".
He added. "In addition, the Labour Party is anxious to ensure it will have at least £200,000 of taxpayers' money available to it for the forthcoming election campaign." This would come about through the proposed payment of £5,000 per candidate, he said.
The Electoral Bill is likely to go through committee stage in a matter of hours tomorrow and is expected to proceed rapidly to report stage and final stage, although the final details of Dail business for next week have not yet been agreed by party whips.
During the Bill's committee stage, Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats objected to what they claimed were "serious flaws" in certain provisions and, according to Mr Dempsey, "Minister Howlin will have to address these for report stage".
Fianna Fail's main objections to the legislation, he added, concern the provisions of the £5,000 "grant" for candidates to contest elections. This money would be provided for candidates who succeed in saving their deposit at election time or win the equivalent of 25 per cent of the first preference vote.
The proposed £1 million funding of political parties on an annual basis is also opposed. This sum would be divided on the basis of electoral support. It is also proposed that any political party that, secures 2 per cent of the first preference vote would be entitled to receive money from this fund.
The total cost of the package would be at least £2.5 million this year.
The Bill also provides that parties would be required to report political donations of £4,000 or more, while politicians would have to report offerings of £500 or more.